Every Song Tells A Story
by NoirAnge
Summary: After the war, Duo and Heero struggle to come to terms with the world around them and each other. Can they do it without tearing themselves apart?
1. Question! Part 1

This story actually begins during the series, but the majority of it will take place after Endless Waltz is over. Each section is based on a different song, and excerpts from the lyrics will be included.

Disclaimer: I do not own GW nor any of the music I will reference in this fic. I do use some dialogue from the series, but all other dialogue is my own and is not to be replicated.

Warnings: This will eventually include violence, bad language, sexual content including yaoi, spoilers, and probably more besides. Please do not read this if you are underage or easily offended.

Spoiler Alert: If you have not watched Gundam Wing and don't want anything spoiled, don't read this. This chapter will reveal a number of important parts of the plot.

Also, If you're not familiar with the series, the following information won't matter to you. If you are, it's important. For the purposes of this story, many parts of the beginning of GW have been cut out. Duo doesn't find Heero's gundam or bust him out of the hospital, Heero doesn't steal Duo's parts and New Edwards (killing of Noventa) doesn't happen. I know, there's some really great stuff in there, but it would just be too much for this fic. This school is the first place they meet, and this section is my own version of their stay set in Episode 9.

**Question! - Part 1**

Do we, do we know  
When we fly?  
When we, when we go,  
Do we die?  
- Question! - System of a Down

**Duo**

Duo rolled over in his dormitory bed, restless. He'd been stationed at this school for nearly a week and had no orders since the attack on the first night. It wasn't unusual to go long periods without word from Dr. G, but he still didn't like it. After days of inaction, he was itching for a mission... preferably one close to the school. Maybe he'd get a tandom mission with that other pilot stationed there; the quiet, intense one. Maybe...

* * *

Duo woke early the next morning, groggy from lack of sleep. The dampness in his sheets reminded him that he'd been tossing and turning from one of his recurring nightmares once again. This time it was the one about Solo, where he always came back with the medicine too late. Groaning, he untangled himself from his sheets and stumbled over to his dresser to pull on some sweatpants and a t-shirt, then headed out the door for a stop at the lavatory.

Checking the mirror while he washed his hands, he grimaced. His hair was a mess, much of it having come out of its braid during the night, and he had creases on his face from the pillow and bags under his eyes. Not much he could do other than fix his hair, though. He returned to his room and gathered up his towel and other shower things before heading out once again, this time to the shower room at the other end of the hall.

Standing under the hot spray, Duo let his mind wander back to the first night he'd been here. He'd had orders to destroy an aircraft carrier stationed in the bay that the school overlooked. When he'd arrived, though, another gundam was already there laying waste to the ship. The other pilot had apparently received the same orders, and they finished the job in no time, leaving Duo to wonder just who was piloting the other suit.

He hadn't had to wonder for long, he mused as he rinsed the shampoo from his long hair. The next day in his history class, he'd spied another student with not only the telltale signs of fatigue that he himself was surely exhibiting, but a slight bulge at the shoulder where a gun was holstered and a uniform that looked as new as his own. He soon overheard other students talking about the "two new guys," one with a braid and one with a glare.

Later that day he'd been put on the same team as the other new boy for two-on-two basketball during PE. Partway through the match, he'd noticed an abbrasion on the other boy's shoulder where the harness of his gundam must have chafed him. Looking down, he'd realized he had a similar burn on one of his shoulders too. The other boy had noticed him looking and nodded at him imperceptibly, confirming Duo's suspicions before dribbling the ball to the hoop and dunking it.

Reluctantly, Duo shut off the steaming water and climbed out of the stall to dry off. He only had a few minutes left to get down to breakfast before the first bell rang for class. Not that he ever ate much in the mornings, but it was worth grabbing a little snack so he wasn't starving by lunch time. Wrapping his hair up in the towel, Duo returned to his room and set about brushing and braiding it before donning his uniform. Grabbing his bookbag and door key, he left his room once again, locking the door behind him this time, and headed for the cafeteria.

* * *

**Heero**

Heero sat alone at one of the cafeteria tables, eating what the staff insisted were scrambled eggs and hash browns but were probably just different mixtures of the same stuff. Washing down the last bite with a gulp of water, he looked up to see the braided boy walking in with his bookbag over his shoulder. The other pilot grabbed a bagel, then sat down with a number of students at one of the larger tables. Laughter and chatter wafted over from the other side of the room, and only seemed to intensify when the braided boy joined the group.

Heero frowned, then stood up to clear his dishes. He knew it was a bad idea to be seen together too often, just in case, but he didn't like that the other boy seemed to be making friends with the civilians instead. What might he let slip to those innocent minds, many of whom had parents working for OZ? He shook his head and told himself that the other pilot must not be too careless, since they'd been undiscovered for the whole week they'd been stationed at the school.

The thought of how long he'd been there brought another frown to his face. It was unusual to be out of communication with J for so long, unless he had already been given orders for his next target. He hadn't, though, and there was no telling how long he'd have to wait until J got ahold of him.

"Hey Heero! Why so glum?" called the braided boy, and Heero looked over to see everyone at the large table watching him.

"Hn," he replied, not bothering to come up with an excuse but instead turning on his heel and heading towards his first class. He'd get there a few minutes early, but that didn't really matter. At least he'd be able to get a good seat.

"Jeeze, just thought I'd ask," called the other pilot after him, but Heero ignored him. Duo. That was his name. A strange name, but then, Heero wasn't exactly run of the mill either. He supposed it fit, given that the boy was playing two very different rolls at the same time: innocent student and deadly gundam pilot.

Heero arrived at his history class early, as expected, but was surprised to find that even the teacher was still absent. Setting his bag next to his feet, Heero pulled out a notebook, pencil and the text for the class. He was already a chapter ahead in the book but decided to read some more anyway. It couldn't hurt, and besides, a mission could come up at any time and put him way behind in his studies... if he returned to this school afterwards, that is. For some reason, he found himself hoping that he would, and hoping that the other pilot would also be there.

Beside the three classes they had together, the two pilots had had little contact in the past week, but it had been enough to get a good measure of eachother. They both excelled in gym, as was to be expected, and though it seemed that the other boy had never studied much of the math they were covering, he picked it up quickly and would have been top of the class if not for Heero. Duo didn't seem to mind, though, and besides, he was doing better in the history class, for all that his textbook looked untouched.

Heero looked up to see the teacher entering the classroom, followed by a number of students. Replacing his text in his bag, he opened his notebook, ready to scribble down notes on the teacher's lecture.

* * *

That night at dinner, Heero was surprised to see Duo walking toward him instead of the regular group of students. Others seemed to be just as surprised as he was, but Heero stared them down until they looked away.

"So, using your usual charm I see," Duo quipped as he set his tray down across from Heero's.

"Hn," Heero snorted.

"Right... anyway, just figured I'd hang out with you for once since it seems I'm the only one who's not afraid of you. Whats the deal with the tough guy attitude anyway?" Duo asked as he started shoveling food into his mouth. The entree tonight was mystery meat with mashed potatoes and peas, but the distaste Heero felt for it seemed completely absent from the braided boy as he continued to inhale the meal.

Heero shrugged in response as he chewed on some mystery meat. "It keeps people away from me, which keeps them out of my way and safe besides."

"Yah, but it makes them wonder. Of course, they're not gonna be wondering anything along the lines of the truth, but they're definitely curious. It's only a matter of time before some of them get over their fear and try to find out more about you."

"Hn. I'll be long gone by then," Heero replied, taking another bite of his dinner.

"I dunno," Duo mused, taking a break from inhaling his food. "At this rate, we could be here a looong time," he continued with a grimace.

Why was it that the braided boy looked so put out by that prospect? Not that Heero wasn't going stir crazy himself, but still.

"I doubt it," Heero insisted before taking one last bite of his meal. How he'd managed to finish before Duo, he'd never know. Standing up, he gave the other boy a nod. "I'll see you in class tomorrow."

"Right," the braided boy replied, getting back to his food.

* * *

But Heero didn't see him in class the next day. He wasn't surprised when Duo failed to show up for breakfast, since that seemed to happen more often than not, but History and then Math rolled around with no sight of the braided pilot, and Duo had never missed a class before.

Lunch brought another surprise, even more unwelcome. On his way to the cafeteria, Heero spotted a bright pink limosine pulling up to the school parking lot. Wondering who on earth would own such a hideous thing, he had simply continued on until he heard a shrill voice behind him calling his name.

"Heeeeroooo!"

Heero turned, stunned almost speechless at this turn of events.

"Relena...?" How on earth had that girl managed to find him?!

"I've found you, Heero!" Heero just stared as the girl made her way towards him. "Heero, I wanted to see you," she continued as she came abreast of him.

"You shouldn't," Heero replied tersely, then turned on his heels and stalked towards the cafeteria. Murmers followed him, and the name "Relena Darlian" echoed from the lips of fellow students as they stared after him.

Heero wasn't sure if the day could possibly get any worse. Duo had disappeared, and now that foolish girl was actually stalking him. To think, threating to kill her had made her want to see him! He shook his head angrily to himself, and stopped before getting to the mess hall. He wasn't hungry anymore. What was the point of eating now anyway? The whole room would be full of students whispering and staring at him.

Growling, Heero turned toward his dorm. With any luck, he'd have orders to leave this damn place post haste. Even better, he wouldn't be stationed at any more schools, so that damn girl wouldn't be able to find him again... though he probably wouldn't see Duo again, either. Outside of a battlefield, that is.

Settling in front of his computer, Heero felt some of the strain ease, as it always did when he found himself with the familiar machine. Booting it up, he was disappointed to see the message ticker empty. He reached up to shut it down again, but caught himself as the screen began to flicker.

"What the...?"

The desktop disappeared, to be replaced by a clicking metal claw. The picture zoomed out, revealing an old man's face, partially obscured by glasses.

"Dr. J," Heero hissed. The scientist had never contacted him like this, and to say it had startled him was an understatement.

"Heero. There is a problem with the new Taurus," Dr. J began, abrupt as ever. "It has the ability to learn from accumulated battle data. I'd like to trust OZ's control system, but there's still the chance that the machine will ignore the pilot's commands and move on its own. If the command to kill overrides the pilot, the consequences could be significant. OZ is sending a shipment of them to Siberia. Destroy it, otherwise it will be a menace to mankind." The claw clicked one more time, then the screen went blank.

"Missian accepted," Heero intoned. He heard a click behind him. "Who's there?!" he called as he turned.

"I've come to say good bye," said the braided boy standing in the doorway. "I got called for a mission."

"Hn. Me too," Heero replied.

"Oh? Maybe it's the same one. I'm supposed to destroy a shipment of Tauruses being sent to Siberia. They've got some dangerous new technology that can override a pilot's commands."

Heero nodded. "Mine's the same. Do you have any more information?"

"Yep," Duo grinned. "S'what I've been doin' all day. But I have to say, I've got a bad feeling about this one," Duo continued, his grin fading. "OZ's transport plan is good. From what I can gather, they're gonna be taking two routes; by air and by land. Heero, could you take the air route?"

"Sure."

"Good. I'll fight them on the ground then." For a moment, the braided boy was silent. "Well, I've gotta get my stuff together. Best of luck."

The expectant look in the other boy's eyes prompted a response from the normally recalcitrant boy. "You too. Be careful."

"Ha! I'm always careful," Duo replied. "More than you, anyway." With a cheeky grin, Duo tipped his baseball cap and was gone.

Heero leaned back in his chair, surprised by the sudden departure. The other boy was probably right; Heero had a tendency to be careless with his own life if it meant completing a mission. Resolving to be more careful this time, Heero set about packing his meager belongings.

tbc

I would love to hear your thoughts. If you liked it, if you thought it could be better, anything, please tell me! The next part is already partly written, and I'll only write faster if you can give me some encouragement .


	2. Question! Part 2

This story actually begins during the series, but the majority of it will take place after Endless Waltz is over. Each section is based on a different song, and excerpts from the lyrics will be included.

Disclaimer: I do not own GW nor any of the music I will reference in this fic. I do use some dialogue from the series, but all other dialogue is my own and is not to be replicated.

Warnings: This will eventually include violence, bad language, sexual content including yaoi, spoilers, and probably more besides. Please do not read this if you are underage or easily offended.

Spoiler Alert: If you have not watched Gundam Wing and don't want anything spoiled, don't read this. This chapter will reveal a number of important parts of the plot.

Question! - Part 2

Sweet berries ready for two ghosts are no different than you.  
Ghosts are now waiting for you.  
Are you...  
Dreaming! Dreaming the night! Dreaming all right!  
- Question! - System of a Down

**Duo**

"Unh..." Duo came awake slowly, exquisitely aware of his injuries. He'd never known before that it was possible to hurt even while sleeping. Add to that the new nightmares that came calling, and it was almost better to be awake.

Blinking the sleep from his eyes, Duo gazed around at the gloomy cell. Four walls, a floor and a ceiling all made out of concrete, and a heavy metal door to seal the deal. When he'd first been placed in here, he hadn't been able to see a thing, but after a while the tiny amount of light that came in under the door was enough to see by... enough to make out the dark bruises on his abdomen and the welts on his arms. There were more on his back and legs, too. Of course, he couldn't see the broken ribs, but he could sure as hell feel them, and his face didn't feel any better, either

Shifting in a vain attempt to ease the pain, Duo let his mind wander to his most recent set of nightmares. Siberia. Everything had changed in Siberia. Who would've though OZ would be so cruel as to threaten the colonies themselves to make the Gundams stop fighting? And Heero... Heero had self destructed. Duo had had a bad feeling about the mission, but he was sure once the other pilots showed up that they'd be just fine. Trust OZ to be as dirty and underhanded as they had been. And Heero...

Since that awful battle, Duo had bided his time with Quatre and the Maguanac corps, but found his thoughts turning time and again to the quiet, brooding pilot he'd gone to school with. There had been something about the boy that had drawn Duo to him, and to see Heero self destruct... that tiny body flung from the explosion like a rag doll... There was no way anyone could survive such a thing. And yet, when he and Quatre had attacked the space port, there on the news monitor had flashed two images of Wing Gundam. Impossible, he knew, but who else could be piloting it?

Duo didn't always dream of Siberia, though. Often it was L2. Father Maxwell and Sister Helen in the ruins of Maxwell Church, or Solo and the gang sick on the streets... and sometimes, Heero in Solo's place, dying from a disease that had a cure.

Duo shook his head to dispel the disturbing images. He thought back to his capture, and the amazing speed of the mobile dolls that had beaten him even though he had Deathscythe. He'd been taken totally by surprise, but he'd be ready for them next time. If there was a next time... but if he knew anything about Quatre and the Maguanacs, he knew they'd be doing what they could to get him out.

Duo's time with Quatre, while overshadowed by Heero's death, had been some of the most carefree of his life. He was entirely overwhelmed by the luxury of the life available to Quatre, even amidst a war. To his credit, Quatre had seemed embarrassed by it all, but the Maguanacs wouldn't hear of anything less for their beloved Master Quatre. And they wouldn't hear of anything less for one of Master Quatre's friends, either, as they insisted in calling Duo. Hardly a few hours into their acquaintance, and Quatre was as warm and friendly as anyone might be after years of friendship.

Now all Duo had to do was survive until he was rescued. He'd already determined that his odds of escaping unaided were slim at best. Even if he'd been without injuries, the security at this base was incredible; with injuries, he had about a snowball's chance in hell of getting out on his own. No, best just to do what he could to stay alive and postpone that execution they had planned for him. If he could only keep his mouth shut when those damn soldiers were trying to get a rise out of him...  


* * *

-Click.-

Duo tensed, waiting to see which soldier it would be this time. He didn't think it'd been that long since they left him in here last, but it was next to impossible to keep track of time in the cell. The door slid open, but the figure silhouetted in the light wasn't wearing a uniform... nor did he have the golden hair Duo had expected from a rescuer.

Eyes widening, Duo stared at a face of a ghost... a face he'd thought he'd never see again. Then Heero raised his hand, pointing a gun at him.

"Just in time," Duo said in response, trying to cover his shock and disappointment. Of course. He was now a liability, and needed to be eliminated before he could be of any use to OZ. "They were about to use me and my Gundam for their wicked plans. If I'm gonna die, it'd seem appropriate for someone else they've 'killed' to be the one to do it." He stood up, pulling down his shirt at the collar. "Here, go right ahead and shoot me."

Another click sounded as the safety was released.

"Well? Are you gonna shoot me or what?"

"If that's what you want," Heero replied.

What was this? The perfect soldier, wavering in his resolve? Duo dropped his hand, letting his shirt fall back into place.

Heero looked back into the hall for a moment. "Your right hand's still okay, isn't it?" he asked over his shoulder. Without waiting for a reply, Heero tossed the gun to Duo, who caught it deftly. Bending down to pick up a gun that had apparently been dropped by an OZ soldier, Heero came over and pulled Duo's left arm over his shoulder.

"Unnh... hey, careful there!"

"Sorry, but we've got to get going."

"So, which way is it? Where's your Gundam?" Duo asked.

Heero started helping Duo down the corridor before he replied. "I left it on Earth. It'd stick out too much in space, so I'd probably wind up getting caught like you did."

"Well pardon me," Duo retorted with as much sarcasm as he could muster. "So how did you plan on gettin' us out of here anyway?"

"I came here so I could kill you. I hadn't gotten around to thinking up an escape plan yet."

"And I'm not dead because...?"

"Hn," was all the response Heero made before ducking them both into an elevator. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a small device and pressed a button on it. Immediately, rumbles that sounded suspiciously like explosions shook the building and alarms began to sound.

"So much for not having an escape plan," Duo mumbled.

Heero punched a floor button and the elevator began to descend.

"So those new models I fought were the mobile dolls?" Duo asked, trying to fill the silence. "No wonder their reaction time was so quick!"

Heero nodded. "Once they're locked onto a target, there's just no escaping them."

"Then how are we gonna get away?"

"I'm not thinking about escaping," Heero replied.

"What?!" Duo exclaimed. Just then, the elevator doors opened and a burst of machine gun fire rang out.

"Duo!" Heero yelled, tossing Duo another device as he returned fire with his borrowed automatic. Duo dutifully pressed the button, and another explosion shook the building, much closer this time. Putting his arm around Duo's waist, Heero ran as fast as he could past the fallen soldiers, toward a docking bay. Doing his best not to slow the other boy down, Duo felt himself growing faint as the pain in his ribs and legs—Hell, everywhere—skyrocketed.

Reaching the docking point, they saw carriers loaded with Leos ready to launch.

"We could use this," Duo heard the other pilot mutter. Heero promptly let him go and made his way over to a control panel. Desperately trying not to fall over, Duo watched as Heero typed some commands into the system, and one by one the carriers launched out into space.

"OZ is expecting us to escape from here, so the mobile dolls should set those carriers and Leos as targets. With any luck, they'll be so busy destroying all the Leo's that we'll be able to get past safely."

"Sounds like as good a plan as any to me," Duo replied, starting to feel dizzy from all the exertion.

"Hey, careful!" Heero called as he ran back to Duo's side, catching him just before he fell.

"Sorry 'bout that..." Duo slurred as he swayed in Heero's grip.

"Duo? Duo! You need to stay conscious, Duo!" Heero shook him forcefully, trying to keep him from passing out.

"Sure you still don' wanna kill me?" Duo asked. "I'm only holding you back..."

"Damnit Duo, stop it! Now stay awake!" Heero yelled.

Startled by the anger in Heero's tone and face, Duo came back to himself for the moment.

"Alright, alright. Let's get out of here." Heero looked at him carefully for a moment before nodding.

"There's a shuttle on the other side of the hanger that we can use. Can you make it?"

Hesitating only a moment, Duo nodded. He'd stay conscious long enough to get to that shuttle if it was the last thing he did.  


* * *

Do we, do we know  
When we fly? --leaves for lunar base  
When we, when we go,  
Do we die?

**Heero**

Duo had been in worse shape than Heero could have imagined. Given his injuries, it was completely irrational to attempt to rescue him from that cell, but the trigger on the gun had refused to budge... or at lease, the finger on the trigger couldn't bear to pull it.

Duo had fallen unconscious the moment they made it to the shuttle. Strapping him into the co-pilot's chair, Heero had frantically executed a takeoff before shaking Duo back awake. It didn't last. He thought the braided boy might have a concussion, and a bad one at that, but there seemed nothing he could do to keep the boy awake at the moment. Mostly, Heero was surprised Duo had even survived the treatment he'd received at the hands of OZ.

Now, safely away from the mobile dolls, Heero was debating which colony to take them to. On the one hand, L4 was closest, but had the most OZ personnel stationed at it. L3 would require four extra hours to reach, but was relatively devoid of OZ. In the end, Heero decided on L3. Duo wasn't in any immediate danger, but he would certainly need a long time to recover, and the fewer bad guys around, the better.

Putting the shuttle into autopilot, he checked to make sure Duo's breathing was even and heartbeat normal. Satisfied, he went looking for a first-aid kit and some blankets. He was surprised to stumble upon a small cabin with a cot in it, and immediately returned to Duo and unstrapped him from the co-pilot's chair.

Lifting Duo easily, Heero immediately noticed that he weighed far less than he should have. OZ clearly hadn't been generous with meals during Duo's captivity. Heero heard a low growling noise and checked to be sure Duo was still asleep before realizing he was making it himself. The thought of what they'd done to Duo... but now was not the time for anger. Duo needed him to be calm and collected. Willing away his rage, Heero carried the braided pilot into the small cabin and laid him gently on the cot.

Retrieving the first-aid kit, Heero began treating the lacerations and welts on Duo's arms and back. Trying not to think of what had been done to create the awful injuries, he gently applied antiseptic, ointment and bandages to each of the wounds. He was amazed that Duo was sleeping through all of this, as the antiseptic probably hurt like hell in those raw cuts. Finishing, he turned Duo onto his back and began checking for broken bones.

Given the way Duo had hunched over while standing and cried out in paid as Heero supported him, Heero assumed he had a broken rib or two, but it seemed that the rest of his bones were intact. Wishing he could make the bruises disappear, he covered Duo with a blanket and tucked it around the boy gingerly. Despite being asleep, Duo's face looked tense, and Heero imagined that he was in pain even though he was unconscious.

Rummaging through the first-aid kit, he found some extra-strength tylenol and a water bottle. Shaking the braided pilot gently, he tried to wake him so he could give him the pain medication.

"Duo," Heero called softly. "Wake up, Duo."

"Wha...?" Duo blinked slowly, obviously confused about the situation, and tried to sit up.

"Shhh," Heero said as he gently pushed Duo back down. "We're on the shuttle. I've treated your cuts and wanted to give you some tylenol for the pain. Sorry we don't have anything stronger right now."

"Tylenol's good," Duo mumbled, his voice raspy from sleep. Heero couldn't help but notice how adorable the other boy was, if you could see past the bruises on his face.

Handing Duo the pain pills and water, Heero sat back on his heels.

"We're on our way to L3," Heero began. "We should be there in about 5 hours. Your eyes seem to be focusing well, so I'm pretty sure that you don't have a concussion, but you have at least one broken rib. I'm going to see if I can find any food for you on the shuttle, but in the meantime I want you to rest. You're in horrible shape."

"You're telling me," retorted the other pilot after he swallowed his pills. "And food would be great... I can't remember the last time I ate."

Heero blinked in surprise. "They didn't feed you at all?"

"Why should they? They were going to execute me as a public spectacle to unite the colonies against the Gundam pilots. Only reason they hadn't yet was that they were trying to get information out of me before they did it, and I wasn't talking. It's not like they planned to keep me alive long enough that I'd need food."

Heero only clenched his teeth, trying to keep his anger in check. If he had his way, he'd be heading right back where he came from to kill the whole lot of them.

"I'll be back. There should at least be some emergency rations around here somewhere." Duo just nodded, putting his head back down and closing his eyes.

Unfortunately, emergency rations were all that were available, but at least there were plenty of them. Besides, Duo probably shouldn't eat too much at one time after so long without food.

Returning with a few meal packets in his hand, Heero gently shook Duo back awake.

"You hungry now or do you want to eat these later?" he asked.

"Hmm? Oh, now, definitely," Duo replied, sitting up and wincing at the pain the motion caused. Heero began ripping open the packets and handing Duo the contents, who made quick work of them.

"You probably shouldn't eat too much more after going so long without food," Heero warned.

"Yah, I guess. Still feel hungry though," Duo whined.

"The food will be here later. For now, you should get more rest. I'm going back to the cockpit, so just call me if you need anything."

"Alright," Duo replied with a yawn, settling back into the cot. The braided boy was asleep within seconds.

Heero turned and headed back to the cockpit. He'd need to research a location he could safely take Duo on L3, someplace they could stay for some time while Duo recovered. There were probably other things Heero needed to be doing, but at this point, he just didn't care. Duo needed him. After Siberia, he felt like he owed the braided pilot for not being as careful as he'd intended. Maybe, just maybe, this would be a way to make it up to him.

tbc

Thanks so much to those of you who reviewed - your kind words mean more than you can know! It might be a little longer before I have the next part up, but hopefully you enjoyed this in the meantime. As always, comments would be wonderful!

-NoirAnge


	3. Question! Part 3

Sorry everyone for the long wait. This chapter is longer than the last two, so hopefully that will make up for it. As always, thanks to everyone who commented, your kinds words mean the world to me!

Disclaimer: I do not own GW nor any of the music I will reference in this fic. I do use some dialogue from the series, but all other dialogue is my own and is not to be replicated.

Warnings: This will eventually include violence, bad language, sexual content including yaoi, spoilers, and probably more besides. Please do not read this if you are underage or easily offended.

**Question! - Part 3**

Sweet berries ready for two ghosts are no different than you.  
Ghosts are now waiting for you.  
Are you...  
Dreaming! Dreaming the night! Dreaming all right!  
- Question! - System of a Down

**Duo**

"I surrender. But I will not hand over the Gundams. I repeat, I surrender, but I will not hand over the Gundams," the voice insisted.

Oh no... Siberia.

Duo found himself in the cockpit of Deathscythe, looking desperately over to where Wing Gundam and the Tallgeese had been engaged in battle. The two suits stood motionless amidst the fight, and then Wing's cockpit began to open. A young boy stepped out, holding a small device out in front of him. It was too far for Duo to see, but he knew the words the boy must have uttered.

"Mission accepted."

With a blinding flash, the Gundam exploded, sending the boy's body flying through the air, hitting the ground so hard it was impossible he could have survived.

"Noooo!" Duo screamed, and suddenly found himself sitting up in a bed. Immediately, he was immersed in pain. Pain in his chest where there were surely broken ribs, pain all over his abdomen, pain in his arms and legs, pain everywhere. Panting, he tried to rein in his racing thoughts. Siberia was over. Against all odds, Heero had survived, and had come for Duo at the OZ base.

Still catching his breath, Duo looking up to see Heero rushing into the small room.

"Duo? What happened? Are you okay?" Heero asked frantically. The alarm and concern in his voice surprised Duo, who simply stared, unable at first to reply. Heero came and knelt next to him, concern still etched on his face. "Duo?"

"I'm... fine. Just a nightmare..." Duo looked around at the small room, and assumed he was on some sort of shuttle. "So where are we headed?"

Heero looked at him strangely before replying. "L3. Don't you remember?"

At Heero's words, Duo began to recall the earlier moments in the shuttle. He'd woken at Heero's insistence to take some pain pills and eat, and Heero had explained their situation.

"Right... I was kind of out of it, sorry," Duo replied sheepishly. "Any chance of some more pain pills?"

Nodding, Heero reached into the first aid kit and retrieved a bottle, handing it to Duo.

"How much longer until we get to L3?"

"About two and a half hours," Heero replied, taking the bottle back and stashing it in the first aid kit again. "I've located an apartment we can use while you recover, so there shouldn't be any problems."

Duo frowned. "I left my Gundam back there. I'm gonna have to destroy it."

"The Gundams are worthless," Heero replied with a shake of his head.

"What?!" Duo almost yelled, incredulous.

"Dr. J and the other scientists who originally designed the Gundams have all been captured by OZ," Heero said by way of explanation. Then, so quietly Duo almost didn't hear him, he continued. "I'll kill them all. I'll eliminate all obstacles."

"Oh, Heero..." Duo felt a new pain, but this one wasn't physical. His heart ached for the other boy. If Heero hadn't been able to kill Duo, how would he bring himself to kill the scientists, one of whom was his own mentor?

Heero seemed not to have heard him, and the concerned look returned to his face. "Do you need anything else? More food? Water?"

"Got any morphine?" Duo joked, knowing Heero would already have given it to him if he had.

"No," Heero responded, missing the joking tone. "I'll be able to get some once we get to L3, though. I can acquire all the necessary items to treat you there. For now, all we have are basic first aid supplies, so you'll have to make do with tylenol and bandages."

"Yah, I figured," Duo sighed, then yawned.

"You need more rest," Heero observed.

"I guess so..." Duo was hesitant to go back to sleep. He felt sure he'd have another nightmare, probably worrying Heero needlessly. The other boy's presence was soothing, though.

"Heero...?" Duo asked hesitantly.

"Yes?"

"Could you... stay with me? After one nightmare, I'm sure I'll have others..." Duo trailed off, looking away from the other boy. It was silly to ask, but he couldn't take the words back now.

"Let me go check the cockpit, I'll be right back," Heero answered.

Duo looked up in surprise as the other boy turned and left the room. He hadn't expected Heero to agree. He quickly lay back down and closed his eyes, determined not to do anything that might bother the other boy. A few moments later, he heard Heero's returning footsteps.

"I'll stay here while you sleep. I'll need to check the cockpit from time to time to make sure we're on course, but I can stay."

"Thanks, Heero," Duo said through another yawn. Smiling, he drifted into a dreamless sleep.  


* * *

"Duo? We'll be landing soon. Duo?" Heero shook Duo gently, who blinked his eyes sleepily.

"Wha...?" Duo asked, still half asleep.

"You need to get up. We're about to land and you'll need to be strapped in."

"Oh, right." Duo started to stretch, then winced in pain. "Damn ribs..." he muttered.

"Do you need any help?" Heero asked.

"Umm... probably. I don't know how steady I'll be on my feet. How about some more tylenol before we try that, though?" Duo asked hopefully.

Wordlessly, Heero dug out the bottle and handed it to Duo again. Swigging the pills down with a gulp of water, Duo looked up at the other boy.

"Alright, let's do this thing." Duo scooted to the edge of the bed, bracing himself, and began to stand up. Heero put an arm behind him to steady him and grabbed his arm to help lift him up. Once on his feet, Heero put his arm under Duo's and pulled one of Duo's over his shoulders.

"Ready?" Heero asked.

"As I'll ever be," Duo replied with a grimace.

They made their way to the cockpit slowly, Duo leaning heavily on Heero for support. He was almost surprised that the only broken bones were in his ribcage. Of course, one of his ankles felt like it had been badly sprained, and there were bruises everywhere. He supposed it could have been worse, but it sure as Hell didn't feel like it could.

Reaching the chair, Heero gently eased Duo down, then secured the straps for him.

"Sorry buddy, don't think I'll be able to help with any of the piloting," Duo said wryly.

Heero snorted in reply, and Duo thought he saw the ghost of a smile as the other boy settled into the pilot's chair.

Fiddling with some of the controls, Heero turned on the comm unit.

"This is 0113, requesting permission to land. I repeat, this is 0113 requesting permission to land."

"This is air traffic control. Permission granted. Proceed to Dock E for landing."

"Roger that," Heero replied, then began initiating the landing sequence.

Duo watched as the colony came into view, growing larger quickly as they approached. He'd never been to L3 before. In fact, beside his imprisonment with OZ, the only colony he'd ever been to was L2. He was curious to see if the other colony really was in such better condition than L2, as everyone seemed to think. Not that it would be difficult. Compared to the cities he'd seen on Earth, L2 was in shambles.

Docking went smoothly, and soon Heero was gathering up what little he'd brought with him, then coming to help Duo up and out of the shuttle. Despite all the pain pills, Duo was hard put to concentrate on simply putting one foot in front of the other.

Finally, they reached the outside of the shuttle port. Heero hailed a cab and gave the driver their destination. Duo settled gratefully into the seat. He still hurt, but it was much better than standing up. Looking out the window, he saw that L3 was indeed in much better shape than L2. The area was nice, reminding him of cities on Earth.

After about twenty minutes, the cab pulled over and Heero came round to help Duo out. Tossing the driver some bills, Heero returned his attention to Duo and walked him to the front of an apartment complex. Reaching the elevator, he pressed the call button and waited. Soon, the elevator arrived and they were on their way to the fifth floor and room 510.

Once inside, Heero helped Duo over to the couch.

"Let me look around and see what we have available, I'll be back in a minute."

Duo just nodded, leaning back and sighing as the pain eased from the short walk that had nonetheless left him panting. Heero returned soon, as promised, looking Duo up and down.

"Do you feel up to going to the bedroom, or do you want to rest a minute?"

Duo thought about it for a minute, wanting desperately to lie down but just as desperately not to move. Then another need made itself known.

"Actually... could you help me to the bathroom?" Duo asked, blushing. He was pretty sure he could take care of his business on his own, but he'd need help getting there.

Heero just nodded and leaned down to help Duo back up. Reaching the bathroom, he gave Duo a questioning look. "No, I'll be fine," Duo said. "I'll let you know when I'm done." Nodding again, Heero stepped back and closed the door, giving Duo some privacy.

Once he was done, Duo washed his hands and called for Heero.

"Okay, now I'm ready for bed." Heero put his arm under Duo's shoulders once again and helped Duo into the bedroom. Luckily, it was right next to the bathroom, so later trips would be nice and short.

Reaching the bed, Heero turned down the covers and helped Duo get in.

"You'll need a shower at some point, but I think rest is more important right now. Will you be okay for a couple hours while I acquire supplies?"

"Yah, think so," Duo said with a yawn, surprised at how tired such little effort had made him.

Heero reached down and pulled the covers over the braided pilot. Duo couldn't decipher the look on the other boy's face, but it seemed... comforting.

"I'll be back as soon as I can, Duo." With that, Heero turned and left the room, closing the door behind him quietly.

* * *

**Heero**

It had taken Heero a few hours to obtain the necessary supplies for treating Duo, and though he had expected as much, he was anxious to get back to the braided pilot. For all he knew, Duo was having more nightmares and could hurt himself even more by thrashing around in his sleep.

Climbing into the elevator, Heero pressed the button for level 5 and waited impatiently as the elevator slowly rose to the correct floor. He hurried to room 510, digging the key out of his pocket and unlocking the door. Closing it and relocking it behind himself, Heero went straight to the bedroom. Setting the supplies down at the door, he went in to see how Duo was doing.

Thankfully, the braided boy was sleeping soundly. Judging by the sheets, he hadn't budged an inch since Heero had left. Letting out a sigh of relief, Heero turned and retrieved the bag of supplies, bringing them to Duo's bedside. Bringing up a chair, Heero sat and gently shook Duo's shoulder, trying to rouse him.

"Duo?"

"Hmmm?" Duo replied, blinking up at Heero. "Back already?"

"It's been two hours," Heero said, a small smile ghosting his lips. Duo was quite endearing when he was half asleep.

"I have some stronger pain medication, and I wanted to bind your ankle and ribs. You want the morphine first?"

"Yah," Duo replied.

Heero fished out a bottle of pills and then went to the kitchen to retrieve a glass of water. Returning, he handed it to Duo, who gulped down the pills immediately. Taking the bottle back, he put it on the bedside table, then delved back into his bag of supplies. Bringing out an ace bandage and a splint, he pulled the covers back so he could look at Duo's ankle.

Duo winced as Heero probed it. It seemed all the bones were intact, but it was heavily bruised and very swollen. Putting the splint in place, Heero began wrapping the ace bandage gently but firmly around the ankle. Duo clenched his teeth as Heero worked, clearly not feeling the effects of the morphine yet.

Heero frowned, pulling out a small package. Twisting it until he heard a crack, he placed it carefully on Duo's ankle and finished wrapping the ace bandage. "The cold pack should help keep the swelling down. Hopefully the morphine kicks in soon."

Duo nodded, clenching his teeth.

"I'll need you to sit up so I can wrap your ribs. Here," Heero said, leaning forward to help Duo sit up. "Sorry," he said as Duo winced.

"Eh, no worries. It's been worse," Duo replied.

Reaching for another ace bandage, he began to wrap it around Duo's chest, then noticed all the lacerations on his back that he'd bandaged on the shuttle. Gently removing the soiled bandages, he looked at the angry red skin surrounding the cuts.

"I'm going to have to clean these cuts, they look like they're getting infected," Heero said, frowning.

"Do what you've gotta do," Duo sighed.

Heero pursed his lips, wishing there was a way to do this without causing Duo any more pain.

"Do you want to wait till the morphine kicks in?" Heero asked.

"Uhh, yah actually. That'd be good," Duo replied.

Heero nodded.

"So, did you pick up any food while you were out?" Duo asked hopefully.

"Yes actually. If you want something right away I have stuff for turkey sandwiches," Heero said, smirking at the hungry look Duo was giving him.

"Turkey sandwich sounds perfect," Duo said with a grin.

"You want an apple while you're waiting?"

"Sure," Duo replied, grinning widely now.

"Let me go grab you one," Heero said as he turned, smiling to himself. It seemed it was very easy to please Duo, a fact that Heero had to admit he liked... immensely. Proud of himself for avoiding causing Duo more pain and bringing such a big smile to the braided boy's lips, Heero returned promptly with the apple, then went to the kitchen to make the sandwich.

"Mmm, this apple's delicious! I could probably count on my hands the number of times I had fresh fruit before I ever met Quatre."

Heero frowned. He knew that Duo had grown up on L2, but had it really been that bad? Finishing with the sandwich, he vowed to get more types of fruit for Duo to enjoy while they were here.

Bringing the sandwich back to the bedroom, Heero smiled as Duo's eyes almost bugged out of his head.

"Is that lettuce and tomato? And a pickle on the side?!" Duo asked, astounded.

"How else do you eat a sandwich?" Heero responded, handing Duo the plate.

Duo just gaped at him. Heero fought the urge to blush. Was it really that big a deal? He felt at once elated that he could provide these simple pleasures for Duo, and heartbroken that such simple things seemed unimaginably luxurious to the braided boy.

"You are still hungry, aren't you?" Heero queried.

"Oh... of course," Duo's gaping mouth shut with a click and he took the plate from Heero's hand. "Sorry, it's just... anything other than stale bread or canned food was kinda hard to come by growing up. Fresh fruit, meat, vegetables were all kinda beyond our means." Duo shrugged, then began to eat, savoring each bite of the delicious sandwich. Heero thought he could watch it endlessly. If this was the reaction he'd get, he'd make Duo a hundred turkey sandwiches.

"So... aren't you hungry too?" Duo asked around a mouthful of turkey.

Heero blinked, realizing he'd been staring at the braided pilot. "I guess so. I'll go make something for myself."

He caught Duo frowning as he stood to go. "What? Are you in pain?"

"Oh, no, it's not that. I just don't want you neglecting yourself to take care of me."

Heero shook his head. "Don't worry. I just wanted to make sure you had everything you needed. Besides, I ate on the shuttle while you were sleeping."

"Alright," Duo conceded, obviously reluctant to let anything delay him from finishing his meal.

Heero shook his head as he put together his own sandwich. Duo was gravely injured and in pain, and he still managed to worry about him? Only Duo. Granted, had the roles been reversed, Heero might have refused Duo's help outright... at least Duo was willing to accept the aid. Heero wouldn't want to do anything drastic just to help the other boy.

Finishing, Heero brought the plate with him back into the bedroom. Duo had finished and was leaning back against the wall.

"How does your back feel?" Heero asked.

"Hmm?" Duo replied, looking at Heero somewhat hazily.

"Your back. Is it still hurting?" Leaning up against it should be causing pain, unless the morphine had kicked in.

"Oh... no, I guess not. Yay, morphine," Duo said with a lazy grin.

"I'll clean your cuts after I finish eating then."

"Oookay," Duo replied.

"Have you ever had morphine before?" Heero asked, taking his last bite.

"Yessiree! It makes me loopy!" Duo declared, exhibiting said loopiness clearly.

"Right... well, I guess we should get started, then."

Duo just nodded enthusiastically, his grin growing to crazy proportions. Heero couldn't help but smiling a bit himself at the braided boy's antics.

Digging into the supplies, Heero pulled out some hydrogen peroxide, then went to the bathroom for a towel.

"I'll need you to sit forward," he instructed as he reentered the room. "This may still hurt despite the morphine, so be prepared."

"I don't think so, Hee-man, I feel great!" Duo insisted.

Heero shook his head in disbelief. Duo sure wasn't kidding about the loopiness.

Opening up the disinfectant, he wet the small towel and reached forward to help Duo sit up.

"Are you ready?" Heero asked.

"Ready freddy!" Duo replied, and though Heero couldn't see his face, he was certain the crazy grin was still plastered across it.

Shaking his head once again, Heero began applying the disinfectant. Sure enough, Duo sucked in his breath at the first dab.

"Hey, that stings!"

"I told you it might still hurt. Now stay still so I can do this faster," Heero replied.

"But it hurts!"

"And it will hurt more if we wait for the morphine to wear off." Of course, the morphine would be good for another couple of hours, but Heero figured Duo might be out of it enough to loose track of the time.

"Well fine. Shoulda just stayed with OZ if I wanted to be tortured, though..." Duo grumbled.

Heero ignored him, gently cleaning out the cuts that covered Duo's back. Finishing, he pulled out some gauze and medical tape to put on the wounds.

"Okay, now I need to wrap your ribs to give them some support. It's probably going to hurt because of all those cuts, but it's necessary."

"Whatever you say," Duo said grumpily.

Heero just rolled his eyes and grabbed an ace bandage to wrap around Duo's torso. Holding the end in place with one hand, he began unwinding the bandage around Duo's chest, trying not to wrap Duo's braid in the process. Finishing up, Heero secured the end of the bandage.

"How are you feeling?" he asked, hoping he'd get a serious answer.

"Not bad, I guess. My back hurts, but not as bad as when you were cleaning it. Much better than before the morphine, though."

Heero nodded. "You'll be ready for another does in a few hours. Until then, you should probably get some rest."

"Yah, I guess I am pretty tired." Duo looked around the room, pursing his lips. "Where are you gonna sleep? You've gotta be pretty bushed after busting me out of that base and carrying my sorry ass all over the place."

"There's a couch in the living room I can sleep on," Heero replied.

"Oh no you don't. Besides, what if I get more nightmares? This bed is plenty big enough for the both of us," Duo insisted, gesturing to the other half.

The braided boy did have a point. Somehow, the idea of sharing the bed with Duo and being able to comfort the other boy if necessary was intensely pleasing to Heero. Much more appealing than sleeping on the couch.

"Alright. I need to take care of a few things first, but I'll share the bed when I'm ready to sleep."

"Good," Duo said with a yawn, then laid himself back down on the bed. "I guess I'll see you then." His eyes fell closed, and within minutes Heero could hear a soft snoring coming from the braided pilot.

Heero found himself smiling as he went to the other room to check his laptop. How on earth had he ever imagined he could kill the other boy? It would be impossible.

Sitting down at the kitchen table, he booted up the computer and checked his message ticker. For once, he was relieved it was empty. Shutting it back down, he returned to the bedroom. Stripping down to his boxers, he climbed into bed, careful not to disturb Duo.

Although he was tired, he found himself watching the other boy as he slept. Unlike on the shuttle, Duo's face was entirely relaxed. The morphine was clearly providing some much needed relief from the pain. Looking at Duo like this, Heero was hard put to imagine Duo as the deadly Gundam pilot that he was. He seemed so harmless... so defenseless. Heero felt a strange warmth spreading through his chest as he gazed at Duo's face, and an intense desire to protect. He knew Duo could take care of himself, but while he was injured, Heero would be there to take care of him.

Reaching up, Heero gently brushed aside a hair that had caught in Duo's slightly opened mouth. Satisfied, he laid down on his side, facing Duo, and gently put an arm across the other boy's waist. With any luck, his presence would chase away the night terrors that seemed to plague the braided boy whenever he slept alone.

tbc

As always, comments and criticism are greatly welcomed! Please let me know what you think!


	4. Question! Part 4

Hello again I'd like to say thanks again to all those who reviewed - it means the world to me to hear your kind words. I hope you like this part as much as the last. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own GW nor any of the music I will reference in this fic. I do use some dialogue from the series, but all other dialogue is my own and is not to be replicated.

Warnings: This will eventually include violence, bad language, sexual content including yaoi, spoilers, and probably more besides. Please do not read this if you are underage or easily offended.

**Question! - Part 4**

Do we, do we know  
When we fly?  
When we, when we go,  
Do we die?

- Question! - System of a Down

**Heero**

Heero awoke slowly, dimly aware of a warm presence in the bed next to him. Blinking, he was confronted with the back of a head covered in chestnut hair. The hair continued down into a braid, and he realized he was holding the end of it with a hand draped over the other figure's side. Disoriented, he thought back to the previous day. Then it hit him... infiltrating the OZ base, freeing Duo from the cell instead of killing him, then stealing the shuttle and coming here to help Duo recover.

He lifted his arm to look at his watch, and saw that it was six in the morning. He'd slept for a good twelve hours. It was just as well; they both needed the rest after what they'd been through, Duo especially. Then he realized it had been as many hours since Duo had had any morphine, and he sat up to see if Duo's face portrayed any signs of pain. Luckily, the boy's face was smooth. He was clearly still deeply asleep.

Careful not to wake the braided boy, Heero got out of bed and headed for the bathroom to do his business. Finished, he went to the kitchen and pulled out a bowl for some milk and cereal. Munching on the cereal, he sat in front of his laptop and opened up. He wasn't surprised to find the message ticker empty once again. With the scientists in captivity, it was unlikely that J would get a message through to him. Resolving to do some more research on the situation later, Heero took a last bite of cereal before closing his laptop and going to the sink to wash his bowl.

Returning to the bedroom, he was alarmed to see Duo's face contorted in pain. The boy's mouth was moving, muttering something Heero couldn't hear. Nightmares. Heero hurried to the bedside and knelt down, gently placing his hand on Duo's shoulder and shaking it.

"Duo? Duo! It's just a dream. Wake up Duo!"

"What?" Duo nearly yelled as he breathed in sharply, his eyes opening wide.

"You were having a nightmare," Heero explained calmly.

Duo looked around frantically, trying to sit up and cringing at the pain. "What happened? Did you get captured too?!"

Heero could hear the panic creeping into the other boy's voice.

"Duo, it's okay," Heero said firmly, trying to break through Duo's panic. "We're on L3. I helped you escape from the OZ base and we came here yesterday."

"Escaped?" Duo said as Heero's words began to sink in.

"Yes, you escaped. We're on L3 so you can recover. You were badly wounded in captivity."

"L3... right..." Duo blinked, looking around the room. "I remember now." He looked up at Heero a little sheepishly. "Sorry about that... the dreams just seem so real..."

"It's okay," Heero replied, glad that Duo was back in the here and now, but wondering what vivid nightmares had been plaguing the boy. "How's the pain? You want some more morphine?" Heero asked, changing the subject.

"Morphine would be great," Duo said gratefully.

Heero quickly grabbed the bottle of pain pills and shook one out for Duo, then handed it to him with the water bottle from the bedside table. Duo took it immediately, then finished off the water in a few gulps.

"Ahh, much better. It'll be back to lala land in a minute," Duo said with a grin.

Heero just shook his head. Lala land was right.

"Do you need to use the bathroom?" he asked.

"Uhh, yah, but it can wait till the morphine kicks in. I don't really want to move right now..."

"That's fine. How about breakfast?"

"Hell yah! What've we got?" Duo replied enthusiastically.

"Just milk and cereal."

"Milk? Now that was even harder to come by than fresh fruit!" Duo replied, grinning at the prospect of such a rare treat.

"Well, we've got plenty. You can have as much as you want," Heero said, getting up to retrieve Duo's breakfast. "You want a glass of it, too?"

"Sure!" If possible, Duo's grin got even wider.

Heero found himself smiling as he poured the milk over the cereal, then into a glass. Duo really was easy to please.

Handing the bowl to Duo once he returned, Heero place the glass of milk on the bedside table, then sat on the edge of the bed while Duo began to inhale his cereal. It was a miracle the boy didn't choke on it, he was eating it so fast.

"Hungry much?" Heero asked.

"Mmhmm," Duo replied around the food in his mouth.

Heero just shook his head again.

Finishing, Duo reached for the glass and gulped down the milk in record time. Setting it down, he let out a sigh of satisfaction.

"Now that was a great meal!" he declared.

Smiling ruefully, Heero refrained from comment. While simple, he supposed it was much better than the usual for Duo growing up.

"You ready for the bathroom?"

"Yah, I guess," Duo said with a sigh. "Actually... I kinda want to take that shower... I haven't bathed since I left earth," he continued, grimacing.

Heero just nodded, getting up to help Duo out of bed. "Do you think you'll need help?"

"Uhh, maybe with my hair... I don't think I can reach around without killing my ribs."

"Sure," Heero replied, pulling Duo's arm over his shoulder and helping the boy stand up. As they walked slowly toward the bathroom, Heero realized he'd be seeing Duo's hair out of its braid for the first time... something he found very intriguing. He could just imagine how it would glisten when it was clean...

"Uhh, I can do this part by myself, Heero."

Heero blinked, realizing they were in front of the toilet.

"Right. Just call when you're ready." Stepping out, Heero waited for a minute before he heard Duo call him back in. Opening the door, he saw Duo sitting on the closed toilet seat, waiting.

"You bought some changes of clothes, right?" Duo asked.

"Of course."

"Right. Okay. Uhh, let's do it, then," Duo said, clearly a little hesitant.

"I'll need to remove your bandages first. You think the morphine is working yet?"

"Yah, I think it's starting too. Can't feel my ankle anymore... that's good, right?"

"Yes, that's good," Heero replied as he bent down to unwind the bandage and remove the splint from Duo's ankle. Finishing, he lifted it up carefully to get a better look at it. The ice pack had helped with the swelling, but it was still heavily bruised.

"It might not hurt right now, but be sure not to put much weight on it when you get in the shower or it will just make it worse," Heero instructed.

"Yes, mother," Duo said with a grimace.

Heero just rolled his eyes, then began removing the bindings from Duo's ribs. That finished, he gently peeled off the bandages from the boy's back, bringing the braid out in front so he could undo it.

"I'll do that," Duo said hastily, and Heero let the braid go. He could sense Duo was uncomfortable letting his hair down, and felt bad at the necessity at the same time that he longed to see the glistening strands falling down Duo's back...

"Heero? Can you help me get out of these pants?"

"What?" Heero asked, startled out of his daydreaming. "Oh, right."

"I think I'll leave the boxers on... you did get more of those, right?"

"Of course," Heero replied as he helped Duo stand, then step over to the bathroom counter. Duo's hair was everywhere, even longer than it was in the braid. Heero resisted the urge to take some in his hand, knowing it would probably make the other boy uncomfortable.

"Lean on the counter for support while I take off your pants," he said instead.

Duo chuckled. "Never thought I'd here you say that..."

Heero rolled his eyes. What did Duo take him for? But then, the thought of Duo without pants on...

Heero firmly stopped his thoughts in their tracks, concentrating on removing said pants without hurting Duo's ankle. But he couldn't help but notice the nicely shaped muscles of Duo's legs...

Putting the pants to the side, Heero helped Duo sit back down, then moved to the tub and turned the hot water on. He needed to concentrate on helping Duo, rather than getting distracted by how his hair... No. He would focus. Otherwise, he'd probably end up causing Duo more harm than good just trying to get him clean.

Holding his hand under the water, he waited for it to heat up. Once it was warm enough, he switched the flow to the shower head.

"Ready?" he asked.

"Yessir!" Duo replied enthusiastically.

Heero eyed the other boy for a second. Clearly, the morphine was in full force. Shaking his head, Heero bent down to help Duo stand. Duo looked uncertainly at the lip of the tub, hesitating.

"How am I supposed to get over that without putting weight on my bad ankle?"

Heero thought for a moment. "Here, I'll lift you." Not waiting for a response, he put one arm under Duo's knees and lifted.

"Hey!" Duo protested. "Put me down!"

"Alright," Heero replied, setting Duo's feet gently in the tub. Duo glared at him. "You would have hurt your ankle doing it any other way, Duo," Heero explained.

Duo sighed, rolling his eyes. "Yah, I guess." He looked around, searching. "Where's the soap and shampoo?"

"Oh... they're still in the bedroom. Can you stand while I go get them?"

"Uhh, not sure..." Duo said uncertainly.

"I'll help you sit then," Heero replied, leaning over to support the other boy as he gingerly sat on the edge of the tub. "I'll be right back."

Heero hurried to the bedroom and grabbed the soap and shampoo, then returned to the bathroom. He was almost taken aback by the sight of Duo's hair, having forgotten so quickly that it was out of its braid. As dirty as it was, the length and color was stunning.

"What do you want to do first, body or hair?" Heero asked, returning his mind to the task at hand.

"Body," Duo said. "The hairs gonna take forever, so we might as well save it for last."

"Alright. Let's get you standing again." Heero set the soap and shampoo within Duo's reached, then leaned over to help Duo stand up and back under the spray.

Duo hissed when the hot water hit his back. "Damn cuts... help me turn around?"

Heero nodded and did as requested. "I want to clean them again, just to be sure. You think you can handle that right now?"

"Yah, I guess," Duo sighed as he reached for the soap. "Let me at least clean the rest of me first."

Heero tried just to focus on supporting Duo as the boy lathered up. It wasn't easy. He found his eyes inextricably drawn to the play of water and soap suds over Duo's skin.

"Here's the soap," Duo said, finishing.

"Right," Heero replied, pulling his eyes away and taking the soap from Duo. He had to put it down, though, so he could move Duo's hair out of the way. Parting it and draping it over Duo's shoulders, he found it was as silky as he had imagined. Letting it go reluctantly, he grabbed the soap and began washing the cuts on Duo's back.

"Damn, that hurts..." Duo said, clenching his teeth.

"Sorry." Heero wished he could do this without causing Duo pain. At least the morphine took the edge off.

"Okay, finished. Ready to do your hair?"

"Yah. You're probably gonna have to wash it twice to get out all the grime. I can only imagine how gross it is right now... ugh."

Heero shrugged. If it was this beautiful when filthy, how would it look once it was clean? He wasn't sure he could imagine it.

"Turn me around so I can get it wet?"

"Right."

Hissing as the water hit his back again, Duo leaned back into the spray and closed his eyes, letting the water soak into his long hair.

"Okay, wet and ready!" Duo declared, leaning forward out of the spray.

Heero laughed as he helped Duo turn back around. Loopy Duo sure was entertaining. Reaching for the shampoo, he squirted some into his hand and was about to put it in Duo's hair when the other boy turned to look.

"Silly Heero! That's not nearly enough. You'll need about three times that much if you want my hair even close to clean," Duo said, giggling.

Raising his eyebrow, Heero nonetheless squirted out some more shampoo. He was skeptical, but he guessed Duo would know how much to use on his own hair, even in this crazy state.

Putting the bottle down, he reached up to massage the shampoo into Duo's hair. Working his fingers into the other boy's scalp, he heard a soft sound coming from Duo's lips.

"Mmmm... feels good..."

Heero smiled. With all the pain Duo was experiencing, he was glad to bring the boy some pleasure. He continued massaging Duo's scalp for a while, then began to work the shampoo down the length of his hair. It took quite a while, but Heero was thoroughly enjoying himself. He'd never imagined he'd get to see Duo with his hair down, and to be able to run his hands through it like this was even further beyond his expectations. It was wonderful.

"That's the best I can do, I think," Heero said, finishing reluctantly, then helped Duo turn around to rinse out his hair.

"You'll need to run your hands through it to get all the soap out," Duo instructed. Heero complied happily, massaging the boy's scalp once again under the pretext of rinsing out the shampoo. He was rewarded with another little moan. Intensely pleased with himself, Heero stroked his hands through Duo's hair, making sure every last trace of soap was gone before finishing.

"Anything else?" Heero asked.

"Nah, I think you cleaned my hair pretty well. Won't need a second wash after all," Duo said, clearly impressed.

Heero was at once disappointed that he had to stop and satisfied that he'd done a good job. He reached to turn off the water, then turned back to Duo, intending to pick him up and out of the tub.

"You'll want to squeeze out my hair first," Duo said, delaying him. "Otherwise you'll need ten towels just to dry it," he continued, giggling again.

Heero supposed he was right. Besides, this was another chance to run his hands through those silky locks... he went to with a will, starting at the base of Duo's skull and squeezing out the water all the way down to the tips of his hair.

"Much better," Duo said, grinning.

Heero bent down to get his arm under Duo's legs, then lifted him up and out of the tub, this time without eliciting any complaints. Setting Duo gently down on the floor, he reached behind himself for a towel, which he handed to the other boy.

"I guess you'll still need an extra one for your hair, won't you?"

"In a minute," Duo replied, busy toweling off. Heero reached for another towel, holding it ready for Duo's hair.

"You have those dry boxers on you?" Duo asked.

"I'll go get them." That said, Heero went quickly to the bedroom and pulled the boxers out of one of the bags. Returning, he found Duo with the towel around his waist and the wet boxers on the ground. Duo held out his hand for the dry boxers, then sat down on the toilet when Heero handed them over. Pulling the wet boxers out from underneath him, he started putting the dry ones on under the towel.

"Can you help me back up?" he asked.

Heero complied wordlessly, chastising himself for staring while Duo had been trying to change. The boy had amazing legs, but that was no excuse. No need to make him feel any more uncomfortable than he already did... that is, if Duo even noticed anything under the influence of the morphine.

Standing, Duo pulled the boxers up the rest of the way. "Alright, now the other towel."

Instead of handing it to him, Heero reached up to pat Duo's hair dry himself. Then, parting it in front of the boy's shoulders again, he gently patted Duo's back, trying not to rub the cuts at all. Finished, he dropped the towel to the floor.

"Let's get you back to the bedroom so I can bandage your cuts and bind your ankle and ribs again," Heero said. Duo nodded, then yelped as Heero bent down and scooped him up.

"Hey!" Duo yelled, scandalized once again. "I can walk, you know! I'm not completely incapable!"

"Your ankle isn't wrapped and it's best not to put any more strain on it than necessary. Besides, this is faster," Heero replied smugly as he carried Duo into the bedroom.

"Hmph." Duo crossed his arms, all but sticking out his lip in a pout.

Gently setting Duo on the bed, Heero rifled through a bag of supplies for fresh bandages and antibiotic ointment. Finding them, he once again pulled Duo's hair out of the way, then began applying them. Then, realizing he'd left the ace bandages in the bathroom, he stood up.

"I'll be right back." Returning quickly with the bandages, he knelt back down beside the bed, then looked through the bags for another ice pack. Duo sat patiently, leaning back against the wall with his eyes closed, wet hair everywhere. Heero found himself staring again. With only boxers on and his wet hair all over the place, Duo was... beautiful. Shaking his head, Heero placed the splint on Duo's ankle and began wrapping. He needed to stop getting distracted like this. What was wrong with him, anyway?

Heero once again placed the ice pack on the ankle, then finished wrapping it.

"Duo? I need to wrap your ribs again."

"Hmm? Oh." Duo blinked his eyes open, then sat up. It seemed he had dozed off while Heero was wrapping his ankle.

"Umm, this will be easier if my hair is braided first. You didn't happen to pick up a brush or a comb, did you?" he asked hopefully.

"No," Heero said, kicking himself for not thinking of it.

"Well, I'll just have to finger comb it then." Reaching up, he winced. "Or you'll just have to finger comb it, I guess... I can't reach around."

Immediately, Heero was glad he hadn't thought to get a brush. Any excuse to run his hands through that hair was worth it.

"Here, scoot forward on the bed so I can sit behind you," Heero requested. Duo complied, and Heero settled in cross-legged behind the other boy.

"Start at the ends so it doesn't get too tangled," Duo instructed.

Heero nodded and did as Duo told him to. The hair was still quite damp, which helped with the knots a little. He pulled through them gently, luxuriating in the feel of Duo's hair. He found himself smiling, quite content to sit and run his hands through Duo's silken locks. If only it were under better circumstances.

"Alright, that's done," Heero said, finishing reluctantly.

"Do you know how to braid?" Duo asked.

"No... that wasn't exactly part of my training," Heero replied wryly.

"Right. It's easy, don't worry. Just divide it into three sections, take one side and put it in the middle, then alternate sides," Duo explained.

"Okay... three sections," Heero narrated. "One side to the middle... other side to the middle... and alternate. You're right, it is easy."

"Told ya so!" Heero could hear the grin in Duo's voice. Evidently, he wasn't so self conscious about his hair any more, a fact that made Heero's smile widen.

"What do I tie it off with?"

"Here," Duo replied, producing a hair tie from his wrist. Wrapping it around the end, Heero let go of the braid reluctantly.

"Can I see?" Duo asked. Heero handed it over Duo's shoulder. "Not bad for your first time," Duo said, still grinning. Duo turned, looking Heero in the eye, his face more serious. "Thanks. My hair is... important to me. Thanks for the help."

"Your welcome, Duo," Heero said, embarrassed by the other boy's intensity. "Let's get your ribs wrapped up, shall we?" Duo just nodded and turned back around.

When Heero finished wrapping the ace bandage around Duo's chest, he caught the other boy yawning. "Time for a nap?"

"Yah... guess that shower tired me out," Duo said, yawning again.

"You have a lot of healing to do; I'm not surprised. I'm gonna go out to the store again while you sleep, do you think you'll be alright?"

"Yah, I'll be fine," Duo replied, yawning again as he laid down, then pulled the covers up. "Think you could get some conditioner and a brush? It will make taking care of my hair easier."

"Sure," Heero said, though he would rather pass on the brush. Any excuse to run his hands through Duo's hair... "Sleep well, I should be back within an hour." Duo just nodded, closing his eyes with yet another yawn.

* * *

Duo was still sound asleep when Heero returned, with no sign of nightmares, much to Heero's relief. He left the new bandages in the bedroom, put the brush and conditioner in the bathroom, then took the groceries to the kitchen. He'd picked up some chicken and vegetables to make a stir fry, and some more fruit since Duo seemed to like it so much. He'd tried to pick out a variety, hoping to find something Duo hadn't had before. He grinned as he thought of what Duo's reaction would be to the choice of eight different fruits for a snack.

Finished putting the food away, Heero sat down at the kitchen table to boot up his laptop. It was time to do some research and find out where the scientists were being held.

An hour later, Heero's face was grim. The situation was not good. It seemed the scientists were being held on OZ's Lunar Base. Further, large shipments of Gundanium alloy were being sent there, in addition to the steel used to construct the regular mobile suits. They must be designing a new Gundam, which meant Heero had to act quickly. He couldn't afford to let the scientists complete a Gundam for OZ... it would tip the balance too much in OZ's favor. In fact, Heero had to act now.

Pursing his lips, Heero stood up and returned to the kitchen. He might as well cook up the stir fry now. He wished he'd bought more food for Duo while he was out, non-perishables that would keep while Duo was unable to get anything for himself. Food that was easy to prepare, like the cereal. He'd need more bandages as well. Would Duo even be able to take care of his back on his own? He'd have to, Heero decided. He couldn't afford to wait.

Finishing the stir fry, Heero divided it into two bowls to cool. Grabbing a water bottle for Duo, he went into the bedroom to check on the other boy.

Duo must have heard the door open, since he opened his eyes and smiled when Heero came in.

"Back already?" Duo asked.

Heero just nodded. "How are you feeling? Do you need more pain medicine yet?"

"Nah, I think I'm good for now. Kinda hungry though..." Duo looked at Heero hopefully.

"Good. I just cooked some stir fry. I'll go get it."

"Stir fry, yum!" Duo replied, obviously not catching on to Heero's mood, for which Heero was grateful. The longer Duo was happy, the better.

"Do you want some fruit with it?" Heero called over his shoulder.

"Hell yah!" Duo replied enthusiastically.

Smiling now, Heero grabbed the stir fry and the bag of fruits he'd gotten. Even his impending departure couldn't take away from this.

Returning to the bedroom, Heero gave the bowl of stir fry to Duo and set the bag of fruit on the beside table.

"Take whatever type of fruit you like," Heero said.

"What did you get?" Duo asked, curious.

"Take a look and see," Heero said, smiling.

Duo set down the bowl and grabbed the bag, then began pulling out pieces of fruit. His eyes got progressively wider each time he pulled another one out.

"How many types did you get?" Duo asked incredulously.

"Just eight. You enjoyed the apple so much, I figured I'd get some more. I didn't know what you like so I got a variety."

"Wow! Apples, a banana, orange, peach, plum, pear, apricot... and whats this brown fuzzy thing?" Duo asked, puzzled.

"That's a kiwi. It's green on the inside; you don't eat the brown part." Duo looked at him skeptically. "It's good," Heero insisted. "Try it."

"How?"

"I'll go cut it open for you," Heero offered.

"Thanks," Duo replied, grinning widely again as he looked over his treasures. "Wow, I don't think I've ever seen this many different types of fruit in one place!" he called after Heero.

Heero's smile widened. The fruit had had the desired effect. He tried not to think about having to go as he cut open the kiwi for Duo. He knew Duo could take care of himself, but it would be a lot more difficult without help. Duo would understand though... in fact, Duo would be angry with him if he didn't leave.

Shaking his head to rid himself of that train of thought, Heero returned to the bed with the cut kiwi to find Duo inhaling the stir fry he'd made.

"This is amazing," Duo said around bites. Once again, Heero was amazed he didn't choke. He sat on the edge of the bed and waited as Duo finished the stir fry. It didn't take very long.

"Here," he said, handing the kiwi to Duo. "Just use the spoon to scoop out the fruit."

Duo eyed the kiwi uncertainly, scooping out a bite and bringing it to his lips. Placing the fruit in his mouth, his face lit up with pleasure.

"That's good!" he exclaimed, quickly scooping out another bite.

"I told you so," Heero said with a laugh, glad Duo was enjoying it. Duo finished the kiwi quickly, then eyed the other fruit that was laid out on the bed.

"I can't decide what I want next," Duo said, frowning. "They all look so good."

"Then eat them all," Heero suggested.

"Maybe I will!" Duo replied, picking up the peach and taking a bite. Some juice dribbled down his chin, and Heero found himself entranced as Duo quickly licked it up. "Mmmm," Duo said, eyes closed as he savored the sweet fruit. "You spoil me, Heero."

"You deserve it," Heero replied.

Duo's eyes snapped open, looking at Heero questioningly. Heero looked away. Where had that come from? He decided to change the subject.

"Duo... I did some research while you were asleep. I need you to give me a list of the supplies you think you'll need for the next few weeks..." He hesitated, then chastised himself for doing so. "I have to leave."

"What?" Duo asked, stunned by the change of topic.

"The scientists are being held at the Lunar Base. I have to go eliminate them."

"Did you say Lunar Base?" Duo asked, obviously still rattled.

"Yes. There's a large amount of Gundanium alloy being brought into the Lunar Base factory. It's probably for making a new type of mobile suit that the scientists are designing."

"I see," Duo replied, thinking. His peach was forgotten in his hand, halfway to his lips. Duo sighed. "That is a problem. You'll have to destroy them before they can design anything for OZ. They'd know how to build something that could defeat a Gundam."

"Exactly," Heero agreed, glad, though unsurprised, that Duo understood.

"Just get me a piece of paper, I'll make you a list," Duo said, sighing. He seemed to remember his peach, then, and resumed eating it halfheartedly. While he understood, he clearly wasn't happy about the situation.

Heero stood up to get some paper and a pen, wishing he didn't have to leave. Wishing his news hadn't ruined Duo's enjoyment of his peach. Wishing he'd get another chance to run his hands through Duo's hair... He shook his head, stopping that train of thought. It was a silly thing to wish for, anyway.

Returning with the paper and pen, he handed it to Duo, then grabbed the bowl and kiwi skins to take to the kitchen. Once he finished washing Duo's dishes, he grabbed the now-cold second bowl of stir fry and a fork. He went back to the bedroom to see Duo hastily scribbling a list on the paper he'd brought.

Heero sat on the edge of the bed, eating while Duo wrote. Duo finished first, then gathered up the pieces of fruit and put them back in the bag and the bag on the bedside table. So much for eating them all, Heero thought sadly.

"This should do it. I assume you got the conditioner and brush already?" Duo asked. Heero nodded, looking over the list between bites. It consisted of food and medical supplies, plus a few clothing items, as he'd expected.

"Do you want anything before I head out again?" Heero asked.

"Just help to the bathroom," Duo replied.

"Sure," Heero said, setting his stir fry aside, then bending down to put Duo's arm over his shoulder. He could carry the boy faster than Duo could walk, but he figured he'd save Duo a little pride and deal with being slow. Besides, being slow meant more time with Duo, something that Heero found he wanted desperately.

Once at the bathroom, Heero left Duo inside to do his business. He heard the toilet flush and the tap turn on as Duo washed his hands, then an "Okay!" from the braided boy. Opening the door back up, Heero went to Duo's side and helped him back into the bedroom.

"I should be back in a few hours," Heero said once Duo was settled. "There are a few things I need to get for myself, too." Duo nodded, lying back down and closing his eyes.

Heero sighed, closing the bedroom door behind him and heading out once again.

* * *

Two and a half hours later, Heero waited impatiently as the elevator ascended to the fifth floor. He had rushed through the shopping, almost forgetting some of the supplies he'd wanted for himself in his hurry. He didn't like leaving Duo, though he knew he'd be leaving again all the sooner the sooner he got back.

Grabbing the key out of his pocket, he unlocked the door and came in to find Duo sitting on the living room couch, watching TV. He paused in the doorway for a moment, surprised.

"Oh, hey," Duo said looking up. Noticing Heero's surprise, he shrugged. "Couldn't sleep. Figured I'd check up on the latest drivel OZ has been feeding the colonies."

Heero nodded, collecting himself as he closed the door behind him. Since when was he so easily taken aback?

Once again, he took supplies to their respective rooms, finishing with the groceries in the kitchen. He looked over at Duo, who seemed absorbed by the TV. Duo was sitting sideways with his bad ankle propped up on a pillow. His hair had dried, and the braid was draped over the back of the couch. Heero's hands itched with the desire to take the hair tie out and run his hands through the silkiness. Heero shook his head. Thoughts like that were pointless. Worse, they were distracting. He'd need to concentrate if he wanted to succeed in this mission.

Walking into the bedroom, he began packing a small duffle with the supplies he'd gotten for himself. There wasn't much; just the bare necessities. Some food, bandages, a change of clothes, the makings of a few bombs and extra ammo for his gun. Finished, he straightened up, looking around the room. He caught sight of the bag of fruit on the bedside table and frowned, wishing he could be here to watch Duo eat the rest of it. He sighed, turning toward the door. It just couldn't be helped.

Duo was still watching TV when Heero emerged. He looked up, obviously none too pleased with the situation.

"Time to go?" he asked.

Heero nodded.

"Be careful, okay?" Duo said, his brow creasing with concern.

"I will," Heero replied, resolving that this time, he would be. Turning to the door, he looked back over his shoulder. "Goodbye, Duo. Take care of yourself."

"I will," Duo echoed, clearly still worried. Heero paused, looking at the other boy for a moment longer. The bruises on his face had faded to a light green, and his hair glistened in the light from the window in the kitchen. Heero wished he could smooth the lines of worry on Duo's forehead and bring back the smile he'd seen so many times over the past two days. Instead, he turned and walked out the door, closing it behind himself. The mission couldn't wait any longer.

tbc


	5. Question! Part 5

Hi everyone! So sorry about the long delay. Part of this was from Wufei's point of view, and I haven't written him before so I was having severe writer's block. Then Hurricane Ike hit and took my power away and it's been crazy ever since. Anyway, hope you still remember this story, heheh. This will be the last one with this song... it took much longer than I intended to finish this one up. Anyway, enjoy!

Sweet berries ready for two ghosts are no different than you.  
Ghosts are now waiting for you.  
Are you...  
Dreaming! Dreaming the night! Dreaming all right!  
- Question! - System of a Down

**Wufei**

Wufei had been drifting in space for over two days. He was rationing his food and water, but it wouldn't last much longer. Luckily, he'd almost reached his destination. He'd had just enough fuel left to adjust his course when necessary over the past few days, and his velocity was high enough that he didn't need to waste any more of it on acceleration.

His time in space had been mostly uneventful. He wasn't sure quite what he'd expected, but whatever it was, it had involved a lot more action. Aside from the brief confrontation he'd had with Space Fortress Barge and one mission order from Master O, he had had absolutely no contact since he'd left Earth. Somehow, he'd gotten used to being surrounded by people, or at least being in contact with the other pilots from time to time. The solitude and silence had been erie.

His mind wandered to the skirmish with Space Fortress Barge. He'd had no illusions that he could take on the spaceship single-handedly, but had wanted to get its measure, so he'd attacked. Barge had sent out a token squadron of Leos to retaliate, and then destroyed the squadron when they'd tried to hit him with Barge's beam cannon. As if a Gundam couldn't maneuver away from such an assault! It was if they had never faced a Gundam before... which was perhaps true, at least in outer space. But it still offended Wufei how much OZ tended to underestimate him.

But that they would destroy their own troops! And for nothing, since Wufei had escaped. And then there was the mysterious woman who had been shouting about peace. If he didn't know any better, he would have identified that voice with Colonel Une, who had threatened to destroy a colony during the battle in Siberia. It couldn't be, though. No one so ruthless could change into such a die-hard pacifist so quickly.

He'd had to retreat, of course. He was low on fuel and had gathered the information he'd needed about Barge... and about just how ruthless OZ was prepared to be in order to destroy the Gundams. Whoever that crazy woman was, it didn't much matter. Her pleas obviously hadn't averted OZ's attempts to destroy him, so she couldn't be anyone important.

A sensor on his control unit beeped, and Wufei was brought back to the present. He'd thought he was getting close. Just five hours after he'd left Barge behind, he'd received a missive from Master O instructing him to assassinate the mobile doll's Chief Engineer. Luckily, he had already been heading in the direction of the Lunar Base.

Securing the food and other items he'd taken out of a small storage locker, Wufei readied himself for battle. There wasn't much he could do, given that he was almost completely out of fuel and had no bullets left. No harm done if he could take out a few dolls before he was captured, though, right? Wufei grinned in anticipation. Perhaps it would be better to say harm done, but good riddance.

As far as he knew, the scientists were all prisoners at the Lunar Base. With any luck, OZ would want them to make improvements on any captured Gundams so they could use them for their own ends. He would bide his time in captivity, then escape when his Gundam was complete and destroy the whole base, killing the Chief Engineer in the process.

More sensors started beeping, and Wufei watched as a squadron of mobile suits approached on his radar. Saying a quick prayer to Nataku, he grinned at the coming attackers. "That's very kind of you, Mr. Chief Engineer. Nataku, you and I have to become a lot stronger. I hear they have a factory. Maybe they'll help us get stronger." Wufei laughed at his own joke as he exploded into action. He would take out as many suits as possible before he let them capture them. He would inflict on them the greatest possible pain.

* * *

The battle hadn't lasted very long. He'd managed to destroy three suits before he was subdued. Now, his hands were shackled and pulled behind his back painfully as he was marched through the hallways of the base, escorted by five soldiers. At least they weren't underestimating him anymore.

They turned a corner and came to a door that required a security code. Clearly, they were entering a secure area. Perhaps the holding cells? Wufei's suspicion was quickly confirmed when they stopped in front of another door. Once opened, he was thrown inside.

"We'll be seeing more of you soon, don't you worry!" one of the soldiers called after him before shutting the door, plunging the cell into darkness.

Wufei looked up, trying to make out the walls of his cell through the gloom. He tensed when he realized he wasn't alone, backing up to one of the walls and crouching defensively.

"It's okay, Wufei, it's just me," said a voice, and Wufei relaxed immediately, recognizing it as Heero's.

Wufei grunted in response, then made his way slowly in the direction of the voice.

"Have you been here long?" he queried.

"A day or two, it's hard to tell," Heero replied.

Wufei's eyes started to adjust, and he realized he was just a few feet from Heero, who was sitting against one of the walls. He scrutinized Heero's face, wondering at the pain in it. Heero looked painfully disappointed and the same time that he seemed intensely relieved. Had he been expecting someone else? Someone he wanted to see, but didn't want captured? Wufei didn't have long to wonder, as Heero noticed his scrutiny and carefully schooled his features into an indifferent mask.

"Did you accomplish what you came for?" the pilot of Wing asked.

"Not yet," Wufei replied. "I need to give the scientists a chance to work on Nataku before I can carry out my mission."

Heero nodded.

"How about yourself?"

Heero grimaced. "No." He didn't elaborate.

"Have you had any contact with the others since you've been in space?" Wufei asked.

Heero hesitated before responding. "Yes. Last I knew, Duo was on L3 recovering from captivity. Trowa is here in the base, under cover in OZ."

Wufei's eyes widened. He'd never imagined trying to infiltrate OZ for more than a quick mission. That Trowa had done so without raising any suspicion was more than impressive.

"The scientists have created two new mobile suits - the Mercurius and the Vayeate - that Trowa and I have been piloting. They're the extremes of offense of defense. I pilot the defensive ones, of course. Together, they are the equal of two gundams, or perhaps even better."

Wufei frowned. He wasn't surprised that the scientists had developed new suits for OZ, but so quickly? Would OZ even bother improving Nataku if they were satisfied with these new suits? He didn't like that prospect.

"What about Wing Gundam?" he asked.

"I left it on Earth," Heero said, without explaining.

Wufei supposed that made sense. There wasn't much point to the Gundams if the scientists were designing better suits, anyway.

Just then, the door to the cell opened.

"Get out, 01."

Heero stood up and headed for the door. Wufei tensed. Between the two of them, they could probably take whatever group was out there. Heero shook his head minutely, and Wufei looked to the doorway. There stood Trowa, watching him. He clenched his teeth. How could Heero be so sure that Trowa hadn't betrayed them? Wufei wasn't about to let his guard down just because Trowa had been an ally in the past.

Heero stepped through the doorway and the cell door shut immediately. Sighing, Wufei leaned back against the wall to rest. He might as well do something useful while he was here.

* * *

Wufei awoke to the sound of the door opening. Heero stepped into the cell and the door clicked swiftly shut behind him. He looked at Heero questioningly, wondering what he'd been doing.

"Another test run for the new suits," Heero explained.

Wufei nodded in acknowledgement. So the new suits weren't completely finished. That at least was good news.

"What are the specifications of the new suits?" he asked.

"They're made of Gundanium alloy, of course," Heero began. "The Vayeate is the offensive suit, the Mercurius the defensive. The Vayeate's only weapon is it's beam cannon, but that's not a problem since it's always deployed with the Mercurius. The beam cannon is massively powerful, probably capable of destroying an entire colony."

Wufei's eyes widened. That was definitely more powerful than the original Gundams, and far too dangerous to be in the hands of OZ.

"The Mercurius is armed with a beam saber," Heero continued, "but it's most remarkable attribute is its defense system. It's called a planet defensor, in which ten disks controlled by remote emit a force field that can reflect force as powerful as the beam cannon in the Vayeate. It's meant for close combat, with it's defense capabilities and beam saber, while the Vayeate is mostly intended to hang back and take out large adversaries."

"The Mercurius can withstand an attack that would destroy an entire colony?" Wufei asked, incredulous.

"That's right," Heero confirmed. "They are the complete opposite of one another, contrary in every aspect. The only difference right now is that the Mercurius is equipped with a self-destruct devise controlled by the Vayeate, so Trowa can destroy me if I get out of line."

"That's logical," Wufei commented, still trying to wrap his head around the new information.

"I had hoped that OZ would want the scientists to improve Nataku so they could use it here in outer space, but with these new suits, it seems unlikely that they would desire such a thing."

"As far as I can tell, OZ has released both Deathscythe and Shenlong to the scientists without requests for improvements or even research. If I know anything about J, though, they'll be working on them without OZ's knowledge, hoping to return them to their rightful pilots."

"I hope you're right, Heero. Nataku will need a lot of improvements to fight in outer space, especially against mobile dolls and these new Gundams. Without the scientists' help, I don't know if I'd stand a chance."

"We'll just have to wait and see," Heero replied.

Wufei nodded. Clearly, there wasn't much more they could do.

* * *

Wufei looked up at the sound of footsteps in the hallway.

"Another test run?" he asked.

"Probably," Heero replied.

The footsteps drew nearer, and Wufei backed up against the wall in a defensive crouch, just in case. He saw Heero doing the same.

But when the door opened, there was no summons for the other pilot. Squinting against the bright light, Wufei saw what looked like another prisoner, sagging against the guards in apparent pain. The soldiers tossed him in without comment and swiftly shut the door.

As the figure fell into the room, Wufei noticed a long braid trailing behind him. Duo. He looked over to Heero, who was frozen in place with a look of both horror and relief. Heero noticed Wufei's scrutiny, however, and quickly schooled his features.

"Botched your mission? You couldn't destroy the base and you didn't kill Dr. J and the others."

Wufei was surprised by the callousness of Heero's greeting. Judging by the look on Heero's face, Duo was the one he'd been thinking about when Wufei had been thrown in the cell... but now Wufei couldn't be sure.

Duo groaned, snapping Wufei out of his musings. "How about a little sympathy?" the braided boy said, pushing himself up into a sitting position and wincing in obvious pain.

"In any case I'm still glad I decided to come here. I've got good news," Duo continued, focusing on Wufei. "Your Gundam and mine are being rebuilt as we speak, you know. I can hardly wait until their done! Nnnn..." Duo winced, arms cradling his chest. Broken ribs?, Wufei wondered.

"Looks like OZ will be keeping us alive for a while. It's a good chance, so don't die yet," Heero said, voice dispassionate as ever. Wufei looked at him askance. Was that the glimmer of concern in those blue eyes?

"Don't worry about me, pal!" Duo replied. "I have no intention of dying that easily. There's the colonies to fight for. Just watch me. I'll become the God of Death once again! But right now... I need some sleep." Good as his word, Duo laid down in the middle of the cell, wincing again at the movement. Within a few moments, Wufei could hear soft snores coming from the other pilot.

"He's not in very good shape," Wufei commented quietly.

"No. He hasn't had time to heal since the last time he was captured," Heero replied, looking away. This, Wufei could tell, was clearly upsetting to Heero. Maybe it had been Duo all along. Either way, Heero didn't seem interested in talking about it.

"Sleep's a good idea. I think I'll join him," Wufei said, lying down and getting as comfortable as he could on the cold concrete floor.

* * *

Do we, do we know  
When we fly?  
When we, when we go,  
Do we die?

**Duo**

Duo woke in pain. He blinked his eyes open, surprised to find himself completely in the dark. Trying to sit up, he winced and lay back down, noticing the cold concrete beneath him. Events of the previous day started to filter back to him... or at least, he thought it was the previous day. There was no way to tell in the dark of the cell.

Duo breathed deeply, testing his ribs. Sharp pain told him the fight had only made them worse, undoing any healing he'd managed to accomplish before the attack. Cautiously, he moved his foot to see how his ankle was faring. It was sore, but no worse than it had been. Good. He was sure he had myriad cuts and bruises in addition to those injuries, but nothing that was serious.

That's when Duo remembered that he wasn't alone. Heero and Wufei were in the cell too. Heero. He hadn't seemed hurt, but Duo had hardly had the chance to look him over before falling asleep. At least Heero couldn't be any worse off than Duo was himself, or he was sure he would have noticed. Somehow, Duo found himself intensely relieved to know that Heero was okay. Not knowing whether Heero had been dead or alive... Duo shuddered. It had been bad enough after Heero self-destructed, but somehow this time was worse.

Shaking those thoughts out of his mind, Duo carefully rolled into his side so he could sit up. He found himself staring into cobalt eyes.

"How are you feeling?" Heero asked quietly.

Duo looked around and noted that Wufei was asleep.

"Alright," he replied, just as quietly. "Not nearly so bad as when you busted me out last time. My ribs are worse again but my ankle is better." Duo shrugged, regretting the action immediately. "I could use some more time to heal, but what can you do?"

Heero scowled. "You shouldn't have come. You should have stayed in L3 to recover."

Duo scowled right back. "Well excuse me if there's a war going on right now. It's not like I can just check out for a few broken ribs and a bad ankle."

"You could have waited a little longer," Heero insisted.

"Look, an opportunity came up that I didn't want to miss, okay? Besides, I wasn't about to just sit around doing nothing while you were off getting into god knows what kind of trouble," Duo replied crossly. "What's it to you, anyway?" he challenged.

"It's important that we pilots take care of ourself so we can continue to fight. You risked serious injury—injury that could have removed you from the war completely, or even have killed you—just for this mission," Heero said, voice rising with intensity.

Duo scoffed. "Of course I did! I do that—you do that for every mission! We're Gundam pilots, of course we're risking our lives!"

"This risk was unnecessary. You should have waited," Heero reiterated.

"Yah, yah, whatever. I wasn't about to pass up a good opportunity. I'm not accountable to you, anyway, so quit your nagging. I'm a little worse for the wear, but no big deal. The important thing is that I'm here so I'll be ready when the scientists finish with Deathscythe."

Heero just looked at him, still scowling. Duo rolled his eyes, turning away. What was with him? Unnecessary risk? A this from the guy who self-destructed his own Gundam! It was ridiculous!

Duo noticed Wufei scrutinizing him from where he lay on the floor. He must have heard the whole exchange. Not that Duo cared. He was sure 'Fei would side with him anyway.

As if to confirm this, Wufei raised an eyebrow and nodded in Heero's direction, questioning. Duo just shrugged, trying to convey just how clueless he was about Heero's problem. Wufei considered this for a moment, then shrugged himself and closed his eyes again.

Duo decided to lie back down. There wasn't much else to do and his body could sure use the rest. Heero's behavior bothered him though, and if it weren't for the concrete and the broken ribs, he was sure he'd be tossing and turning in his attempt to get to sleep. Why on earth was Heero so upset?

* * *

This time, Duo remembered where he was when he woke. Blinking his eyes open, he looked around for the other pilots. Heero was sitting against the wall, apparently asleep, and Wufei was standing up, doing some sort of yoga.

Duo sat up gingerly and watched Wufei for a while as he switched from position to position. He'd never realized quite how flexible the other pilot was before.

"What's that called, Wufei?" Duo asked, tired of just watching.

"Tai Chi," Wufei responded without missing a step.

"It looks painful," Duo commented.

"It would be with broken ribs," Wufei replied. Duo chuckled.

"So how long've you been here now?"

"A few days, give or take. It's hard to tell since we're in the dark all the time."

"Huh," Duo replied. "Sounds boring."

"I guess."

Duo waited a few moments, but Wufei didn't seem forthcoming.

"So, there anything to do besides Tai Chi and sleep?"

"Not really," Wufei replied. "At least, not for us."

"What do you mean, not for us?"

Wufei looked at him, apparently done with his exercises, then sat down across from him.

"Heero has been piloting one of the new Gundams the scientists designed. As far as I can tell, they take him out once a day for test runs."

"They're letting him pilot it?" Duo asked, incredulous. "Why hasn't he busted out yet?"

"There's a self-destruct device in his suit. If he does anything suspicious, they'll trigger it."

"Ahh. Got it. How are the new suits?"

"Pretty impressive," Wufei replied. He explained the stats on the Mercurius and the Vayeate, watching Duo's eyes widen just as his had done.

"It can destroy a whole colony? No way!"

"That hasn't been tested yet, but Heero seems very sure."

"That's terrible... OZ should never be allowed to wield that much power."

"I agree," Wufei said. "But there's nothing we can do about it right now. We'll just have to be satisfied that they're doing nothing more than test runs right now."

"So who's piloting the other suit? Some hotshot OZ soldier?" Duo asked.

"No. Trowa Barton. He's infiltrated OZ and gained the trust of Colonel Une. He's the one who controls the self-destruct device in the Mercurius. Heero's convinced that he's on our side, but I'm not so sure. So far he hasn't done anything to betray us, though."

Duo nodded, thinking. "Well, we'll just have to be on our guard... as much as it's possible locked away like this. I wonder if he knows about our gundams...?"

"I have no idea," Wufei replied. "We weren't sure about them until you told us. I guess it depends if the scientists trust him enough to have told him themselves."

"I guess so," Duo said, sighing. "I don't like this, but there's not much we can do but wait. Man, I hate sitting around!"

Wufei looked at him thoughtfully. "How bad are your ribs, really?"

"Pretty bad. Why?"

"There are a few exercises I can show you. They'll hurt, but they'll help strengthen you so you can heal. Are you interested?"

"Hell yah! Anything's better than doing nothing!" Duo replied, grinning.

Wufei smiled softly, standing up. He extended a hand, which Duo took gratefully. Once on his feet, he looked to the Chinese pilot expectantly.

"Okay. First, place your feet just so." Wufei nodded when Duo did as instructed. "Now, bring your arms up like this. Right. Next, you're going to bring your hands around this way. Right. Okay..."

Wufei continued instructing him, and Duo followed along as best he could. Wufei had been right, the exercises did hurt, but they didn't hurt too much. He could tell they'd help with his flexibility and strength, even his balance. He was grateful to Wufei for the opportunity to stay busy. Painful as it was, it sure beat sitting around doing nothing.

* * *

Duo was sitting down, resting after the exercises, when the door opened again.

"Get out, 01." Squinting, Duo thought he could make out Trowa's face. Grinning, he thought he'd have a little fun.

"Come on, how come him again? I'm a better pilot than 01 is, you know! Let me take care of the next battle!" he said, standing up.

"You can't do it in your shape," Trowa replied. "Even a Gundam pilot runs the risk of being killed in this next mission, because it's a Gundam pilot you'll be fighting."

"What?" Wufei asked, stunned as the rest of them.

"Apparently it's a new model," Trowa continued. "He wiped out a whole OZ division with one suit."

"What are it's characteristics and weapons?" Heero asked.

"The engineers asked the same questions. That shows that you're familiar with them," Trowa replied, declining to provide any details.

"Okay, let's go," Heero said. "With that red one, the Mercurius, this should prove to be quite a fight."

"You're coming, like it or not."

"And you'll just stand back and watch as the two Gundam pilots fight each other!" Duo yelled. "Hey, 01! Don't do it! It's probably a suit performance test! Don't help them out!" Trowa moved towards Duo swiftly, punching him in the gut. Duo grunted at the pain, bending over as the wind was knocked out of him.

"You guys just better keep quiet there. You'll get your turn eventually." With that, he nodded to Heero and left the cell, closing the door upon Heero's exit.

"I don't think that guy was acting," Wufei said. "We have to assume that he really has betrayed us."

"We don't need to worry about that. He's one guy we can trust," Duo said, grinning despite the pain.

"What makes you so sure?"

"Because no traitor's gonna bring us a gift like this that so much thought's been put into." With that, Duo lifted up a small device, then pressed a button and pointed it at the wall. Instantly, a beam of light emitted from the device, showing a picture on the wall.

"Hey, that's...!" Wufei exclaimed.

"Duo Maxwell and Wufei Chang," Trowa's voice said, emanating from the small device. "This was given to me by Master O. Use it to kill time."

On the wall, schematics of the improved Deathscythe and Shenlong were flashing before them with each click of the button.

"Son of a gun," Wufei said, shaking his head.

"Awesome, right?" Duo replied, sitting back to look through the images. "I heard it'll be completed in one month. Now that Quatre is back, we're going to be busy again."

"I have no intention of thinking of an unconfirmed Gundam as an ally of ours," Wufei said as he scrutinized the schematics.

"But the Gundam is defeating OZ's troops, right" It's gotta be an ally."

"I certainly do hope so... but I've got a bad feeling."

"If you say so," Duo said, happy to let the subject go and study the new data they'd been given.

* * *

"Is it just me or is it getting stuffy in here?" Duo asked, not taking his eyes away from the images on the wall.

"It's not just you. I suspect they've shut of the air," Wufei replied.

"Seriously?!"

Wufei just nodded.

"Damn! What a dinky way to kill us all off! Man, I sure wish I could've gone to battle today instead of Heero," Duo said. Not that he was entirely sure of that. Heero would probably survive whatever battle he was fighting, while there didn't seem to be any chance of surviving this. Trowa was with Heero, so there could be no help from that quarter, and it was likely that the scientists were in the same position they were.

Wufei, meanwhile, had continued scrutinizing the schematics of their Gundams.

"What are you doing, Wufei? There's no sense studying that now."

"Stay calm if you want to live a little bit longer," Wufei replied, calm as his advice.

"We don't stand a chance unless something pretty drastic happens!"

"I'm doing everything I can in case "something drastic" does happen," Wufei insisted.

"Wufei!" Duo said, exasperated. "Sorry, but I'm gonna throw in the towel. Oh, this is such a lame way to die! This is so not cool!" Duo lay down, throwing his arm over his face. This was unbearable. Not only was Heero out there fighting a mystery Gundam that was clearly very powerful, he and Wufei were gonna die in this stupid cell for the lame reason of running out of oxygen. They weren't even gonna go out fighting!

"Ugh!" Duo sat back up and picked up the small device, clicking through the differing images.

"I never would've guessed I'd be dying like this. Hey, Wufei, my Deathscythe is pretty cool, don't you think? I'll demolish OZ with this in no time at all!" When Wufei didn't respond, Duo looked over to see him lying down.

"Wufei?" No response. "What's wrong? Are you dead already? Wufei!" Duo crept over to the other boy, panic creeping into his voice. "Don't be deserting me at a time like this. You've gotta stick with me right to the bitter end!" Duo reached Wufei, then noticed his chest was rising and falling minutely as he breathed.

"Amazing," he said to himself. "He's almost totally stopped breathing. He's in a state of suspended animation. The guy really is unbelievable." Sitting back, Duo decided to lie back down. Of course Wufei would refuse to give up, right to the bitter end. It made perfect sense. Who would want to die like this, anyway? The Gundam pilots... the Gundams can't afford to loose at this point... not now...

* * *

Duo woke to a shake from Wufei. His head was pounding. "Wha...?"

"The air is back and the door is open. Looks like someone else around here is on our side."

Duo looked up to see the cell door wide open with no one in sight.

"All right! Let's get out of here!"

Duo got up swiftly, ignoring the pain from his ribs, and followed Wufei out of the cell. They hurried through the halls, careful not to attract any notice. Whatever was going on, this part of the base seemed to be deserted.

They arrived at the hanger with their Gundams and swiftly entered the cockpits. Duo booted up the cockpit system and warnings started beeping at him from the diagnostics system.

"It's only 70 complete. Our abilities to fight are limited!"

"It's amazing enough that we're even alive. Can't be choosy."

"Well, shall we escape?" Duo asked.

"After we pay them back, eh?" Wufei replied.

"Sounds good to me!"

With that, Deathscythe and Shenlong exploded from the hangar and turned, firing on the base. More alerts started beeping, and Duo saw mobile dolls approaching from two sides.

"I guess we'll have to split up. Go destroy some stupid dolls, Wufei!"

"Until we meet again, Maxwell," Wufei replied.

tbc

* * *

The planet defensor was the name for the system listed on AboutGundamWing . com

I apologize for any typos, I wanted to get this up as soon as I could since it's been such a long time. Please let me know what you think!


	6. Zombie Part 1

Sorry again for the long wait. My computer crashed and I lost everything I worked on and had to start over --;;; Anyway, onto a new song! Enjoy

**Zombie - Part 1**

In your head, in your head they are fighting,  
With their tanks and their bombs,  
And their bombs and their guns.  
In your head, in your head, they are crying…  
- Zombie – The Cranberries

**Wufei**

Duo and Wufei had split up after the battle. It was just as well. Wufei was headed for home, and he was glad he would be seeing his clan and family without the burden of visitors. Besides, there had been a very strange dynamic between Duo and Heero that was good to get away from. Much better to return to the comfort of the familiar.

Wufei's Gundam had taken some light damage during the battle, but there would be lots of work to be done as the scientists hadn't completed all of the upgrades by the time he escaped. Luckily, there were many capable men on L5 who would be able to help him. Thanks to the blueprints Trowa had given them, Wufei would have no trouble overseeing Nataku's completion.

As he approached colony 0200 of the L5 cluster, Wufei found his thoughts turning to the people he had left behind. He tried not to think of them too often, not to let them distract him from his objectives, but he couldn't help but think of them sometimes. Especially little Chyou. As much as he tried, she was often on his mind.

"This is colony 0200. Please confirm your identity," came a male voice over the comm unit.

"Chang Wufei," he replied. "Requesting permission to dock."

"Permission granted. Proceed to dock B4."

"Roger that."

Wufei steered his Gundam toward the designated docking point, bringing it in carefully. It wouldn't do to cause further damage to his suit, and embarrass himself besides. Once he was inside, the airlock shut behind him and oxygen began filtering into the space. A red light turned to green, and Wufei began unbuckling himself, then exited the cockpit.

He was greeted by two men, both of whom he recognized as members of his clan. This was no surprise, as virtually all residents of this colony belonged to the Long clan, though not all were people he would recognize.

"Chang," one of them said to him, nodding. He didn't remember the man's name, so he just nodded in return.

"Please contact Master Long and inform him of my arrival," Wufei requested.

"It's already been done. He instructed us to move your Gundam to the warehouse, pending your approval, and is on his way to meet you."

"Very good," Wufei replied. "Please do so at once."

"Right," the man affirmed, then began issuing instructions to the other man there, who hurried to follow them.

Wufei looked around, locating the exit so he could leave the docking bay. He exited onto a wide boulevard, lined with trees and benches every few yards. Sitting to receive Master Long would be rude, so Wufei went to stand next to one of the benches and wait. It wasn't long before a car pulled up in front of him. The driver came around to the passenger side and opened the door for a man stooped from age. Wufei bowed, according his grandfather-in-law the proper respect, then straightened and waited.

"Chang Wufei," Master Long intoned. "Much has happened since you last left us."

"Master Long," Wufei replied. "I only hope that you approve of my actions."

"Craving approval, as always," the old man replied. "Do you approve of your actions? That is the more important question."

Taken aback, Wufei stammered his reply. "I… don't know, Master Long."

"Then it is good you have returned. Come, let us return to my home. Everyone is anxious to see you." With that, Master Long turned back to the car. Wufei waited until the old man was seated, then shut his door and went around to the other side of the car to sit. The driver returned to his own seat and started the car.

Not for the first time, Wufei thought of the others that he had left behind when he went to earth. Though it had been a relatively short time since he'd left, he wondered how much little Chyou had changed. She always seemed to grow so fast, he could hardly keep track.

The drive to the Long residence was short. Wufei got out of the car and preempted the driver by going around to open Master Long's door.

"Thank you, Wufei," the old man said.

Wufei nodded in acknowledgement, closing the door behind him.

"We'd best not keep them waiting. Little Chyou is probably frantic by now," Master Long said with amusement.

Wufei couldn't help but smile as he followed Master Long toward the house. Chyou had no doubt gone wild the moment she was informed of Wufei's return. For reasons he could not fathom, the little girl was absolutely enamored of him. She had sulked for weeks when she found out Wufei would be leaving them. Hopefully she had gotten over it without too much fuss. The girl could throw a temper tantrum and a half when the mood struck, and he wouldn't wish that on anyone.

Reaching the steps leading up to the residence, Wufei looked up to see the welcoming party. It seemed it was being confined to immediate family only. A man and woman stood next to each other, and in the mother's arms was the most amazing little girl Wufei had ever known.

"Unca Wu! Unca Wu!" she shouted gleefully, hands stretching desperately as if to bridge the gap between them. It was all Wufei could do not to run up the steps and pull her into his arms. As it was, he couldn't help the wide grin suddenly plastered across his face. The man and woman smiled in return.

As Master Long reached the top of the steps, he turned to Wufei.

 "Welcome home, Wufei," he said.

"Yes, welcome home," repeated the young man.

"Sun." Wufei greeted the brother of his late wife with a small bow. "I'm glad you are well." Sun just nodded, smiling.

"I'm so glad you've come home safely!" said the young woman.

"Didn't I promise that I would, Lian?" Wufei replied, trying hard not to let his gaze drift to Chyou just yet. It would be rude to ignore his brother and sister-in-law after such an absense.

"Of course you did," Lian replied. "But I couldn't help worrying."

"Unca Wu! Unca Wu!" Chyou insisted, straining to reach him still.

Lian laughed, then handed the little girl to Wufei, who took her gladly.

"I can't believe how much you've grown, little Chyou," Wufei said, smiling at the girl in his arms, who immediately threw her arms around his neck.

"I missed you Unca Wu! Never leave again!" Chyou demanded.

"Chyou! Be respectful of your elders!" Lian chided.

"Sorry…" Chyou said contritely.

Wufei just smiled. "I missed you too," he said, planting a kiss on the top of her head before handing her back to her mother.

"Let's go inside so we can sit down. These old bones need to rest," said Master Long.

"Of course," Wufei replied. They all followed the old man in. Sitting down, Wufei experienced a profound sense of relief. It was good to be among family again. It was good to be home.  


* * *

But you see, it's not me, it's not my family.  
In your head, in your head they are fighting,  
With their tanks and their bombs,  
And their bombs and their guns.  
In your head, in your head, they are crying…  
- Zombie – The Cranberries

**Heero**

"It's a dispute within the OZ organization," Quatre was saying. "Participating in their fight only makes you another target!"

They hadn't been back on earth for long before they met up with some soldiers of the Treize Faction. Quatre hadn't really noticed at first, still in shock after dealing with the ZERO system and grieving over Trowa. Heero had had his own run in with ZERO, and had done his best to help Quatre through the fallout. He seemed to have recovered now, though.

"A target?" Heero replied. "That's fine with me. Execution orders have been issued for us Gundam pilots. This way I can let Romefeller know that I'm still alive. It's my way of retaliating."

Recognizing a fight he wasn't going to win, Quatre threw up his hands and walked away, towards another part of the camp. They were somewhere in the forests of Europe, hunkering down after a battle in which the Treize faction had incurred heavy losses. Not to be demoralized, they were simply waiting to meet up with another division before launching yet another attack.

Heero had decided to help them fight. As a Gundam pilot, he would be taking point position in the least-damaged Leo they had. He understood that Quatre was worried about him, but he had to do what he thought was right. The Treize faction might have been part of OZ at one point, but they had risen up against the mobile dolls, and that was a cause he could fight for. Besides, what else could he do? He had no idea where his Gundam was, so this seemed like the most logical approach for the time being.

"Red?" Heero heard the Captain calling his code name.

"Sir," he replied, turning toward the approaching man.

"The other company will be here by nightfall. We're launching an attack at dawn. I need you in the tent to discuss strategy. Come with me."

"Sir," Heero repeated, nodding before following the man to their makeshift command tent. Tattered maps were strewn over the lone table in the camp, and a number of the other officers had already assembled.

"Okay, let's go over our plans," the Captain began. "We'll trick the enemy's advance guard by first attacking with our main troops, here," he said, pointing to the outskirts of a nearby town on the map. "Our backup forces will come from the side, enter the town and attack enemy headquarters. Then the mobile forces will join our main troops, expel the enemy troops, and take over the town. Our mobile force leader will be Red One. You're in charge. Can you handle it?" the Captain asked, turning to Heero.

"Course I can. I am a Gundam pilot after all."

"Right," the Captain replied. "I'll be leading the main force, then. Everyone understand?"

"Yes, sir!" the soldiers chorused.

"Good. Let's get some chow and some sleep. We'll be waking at 0300 hours to move out by 0400."

"Sir!" the soldiers replied again. Heero watched as they dispersed, each to their own dinner duties, and wondered which ones would be dying tomorrow.  


* * *

Quatre had left soon after the strategic meeting, heading for the town that would soon be the locus of a battle. He wanted to be sure the townspeople were evacuated, no doubt.

Now, as Heero engaged the enemy troops, he was glad Quatre had gone on ahead. He would prevent civilian casualties, and civilian casualties were unacceptable.

The Captain's plan was working well. OZ's troops had been caught totally unprepared by Heero and the rest of the mobile force.

"We'll finish them off before their backup troops arrive," Heero said to the rest of his squadron. The few tanks and Leo's that were left of OZ's defending forces were retreating into the town now.

Heero and his squad followed. Taking aim with his beam rifle, he took out another of OZ's Leos. It collapsed onto a building, completely destroying the second story. Immediately, people began pouring out of the bottom floor.

"Didn't they tell the civilians to evacuate?!" Heero demanded.

Just then, a comm link with the Captain opened up. "Red One! What's your present situation?! Have you destroyed headquarters?"

"Negative. I'm altering the mission. I'm defending this position!" Heero replied.

"What?! What are you saying?"

"This is the Gundam pilot calling," Heero said on an open link to the whole Treize Faction. "OZ failed to evacuate the civilians from the town. I will proceed to destroy enemy mobile troops at this position. Do what you can to divert conflict from the town proper so that the civilians can escape!"

"Roger, that," came a chorus of replies.

"What are you doing, Red One?!" responded the Captain, incredulous. "Proceed along mission parameters at once! Destroy the headquarters!"

Heero ignored him, instead focusing on defending himself. The OZ forces seemed to be concentrating their firepower on him. Had they intercepted his last transmission?

Shooting down some oncoming missiles, Heero stepped aside as more smashed into the building behind him. He returned fire, destroying the missile silo and a tank. Looking behind him, he could still see people running for their lives amidst the battle.

"Red One! Come in Red One! Proceed with the mission immediately!" the Captain continued.

"Our mission here has completely failed," Heero replied. "Too many casualties. We'll retreat for now."

Immediately, the other members of the mobile force began retreating into the fields around the town.

"What?! What happened, Red One?! What's wrong? What's going on there?! Come in, Red One?!"

"OZ failed to evacuate the civilians. I refuse to continue at the expense of innocent lives. We'll defeat the OZ forces in the surrounding area and then retreat."

"But…!!"

"No," Heero replied. "If you want me on your side, then you'll follow me in this. We retreat."

"Alright…" the Captain responded unhappily. "But I don't like it. You won't be leading a squad next time if you plan to go against orders!"

"Fine. Let's get out of here before the backup troops arrive."

"Roger," replied the Captain.

They had just finished taking out the Leos surrounding the town when the sensors in his cockpit started going crazy. Turning, Heero saw a phalanx of mobile suits approaching from the town.

"The new models. It'll be tought with these Leo's. Get ready everyone!" Heero called.

The Leo's opened fire, but the Virgo's planet defensor shields deflected all of the damage. Then, the Virgo's fired back. All around Heero Leo's fell. The remaining Treize faction soldiers opened fire again, only to be thwarted again by the shields.

Heero wrenched the controls suddenly to the side, trying to avoid the Virgo's return fire. Too slow. His left shoulder was hit. As the cockpit shook, metal screeched and the left arm of his suit fell completely off. Heero looked around to see only a few Leo's left standing.

"I'll fight through this. It's my way of retaliating!" Heero said to himself as another volley from the Virgos cut down the remaining Leo's beside himself. "I'm fighting through this longer than anyone!"

With effort, he raised the mecha's right arm and began to fire. No use. There was no getting past those shields. Immediately, the Virgo's fired back and he was hit again.

"Ahhh!" The suit fell backwards, and Heero's head whipped forward, then cracked against the seat behind as it landed. Grunting, he brought the suit to it's knees, then upright again.

"I'm fighting through this longer than anyone on Earth!" he cried.

Suddenly, an Aries suit burst through the line of Virgo's, destroying one of them. It landed just in front of him.

"Heero, are you alright?!" Quatre called. Heero groaned. "Heero, we can't die yet! Listen to me! We have to protect the Sanc Kingdom!"

"What? The Sanc Kingdom?" Heero replied as he dodged more fire from the Virgos. "Who, us?!"

"That's right!" Quatre insisted. "That's the job we must do here on earth! ..What?"

There was a blip on Heero's sensors as a plane flew directly overhead, dropping a large object.

"Hey, that's the beam cannon from your Gundam!" Quatre cried.

"You're Gundam pilots so I'm sure you know how to use that," a female voice issued over the comm unit. "I'll back you up while you get out of there."

"Roger that," Heero replied as the plane opened fire on the Virgos. Quatre picked up the cannon in his Aries and aimed at the Virgos. The cannon charged, then fired an immense beam that broke through the Virgo's shields, decimating their forces. A few more shots and they were completely destroyed.

The plane doubled back and landed on the rough terrain near them.

"This is Lucrezia Noin of the Sanc Kingdom. I've come to bring you to the Sanc Kingdom and Relena Peacecraft. Will you come with me?"

"Of course!" Quatre replied. "Thank you for your aid! I don't know what we would have done without it!"

"No problem," Noin responded.

Heero clenched his teeth. Relena Peacecraft of the Sanc Kingdom. The selfsame girl who had plagued him at the boarding schools, months ago. But if Noin had Wing Gundam's beam cannon, that probably meant she had the Gundam too. He could go with them to retrieve Wing, then leave.

"Yes, thank you," Heero said as he unbuckled his straps. He pulled out the dismounting cable and jumped down, grunting as he hit the ground. Quatre, who had already left his suit, rushed over to him.

"Are you alright, Heero?" he asked, clearly concerned.

"Fine," Heero replied. "You came just in time. So did she."

"I'll say! This is just perfect. We needed to go to the Sanc Kingdom anyway! We must protect it so that the ideals of Total Pacifism can spread!" Quatre insisted.

"Hn," Heero replied noncommittally. No need to tell Quatre now that he'd be leaving immediately. He had no intention of spending any more time than necessary with that naïve girl who now styled herself the ruler of a country. He had far more important things to do.

tbc

For anyone who's curious, here are the meanings of the names of the new characters:

Sun - bending or decreasing

Lian - yielding willow

Chyou - Autumn

Hope you liked it! Please let me know what you think


	7. Zombie Part 2

Hello all! Again, thank you so much to everyone who reviewed - it means the world to me! hugs Also, there's a bunch of dialogue from the series in Duo's part, though a lot of it is my own as well. As always, I don't own the rights to GW or the song's I'm quoting, but I'm not making any money either. That's all for now, I think. Enjoy!!

**Zombie - Part 2**

But you see, it's not me, it's not my family  
In your head, in your head they are fighting  
- Zombie - The Cranberries

**Wufei**

"I want to be strong like you, Unca Wu!" Chyou cried enthusiastically. "Teach me to fight!"

"It is not my place to teach you," Wufei replied. "You should learn from your father."

"Please?" Chyou pleaded.

There was no resisting that face.

"I cannot teach you to fight, but I can help you become strong," Wufei capitulated. "Have you learned any exercises to practice?"

"No. Will you show me, Unca Wu?" Chyou asked, excited now.

"Of course. Here," he said, lifting her out of his lap and standing. "First, put your feet like this. Yes, right foot forward, shoulder-width apart. Good. Now, bring up your arms…"

Slowly, Chyou stumbled through the basic forms of Tai Chi. Every time Wufei thought to stop, she insisted on more. By the end of the afternoon, she was able to complete an entire exercise smoothly from start to finish. Wufei was deeply impressed. But what else could he expect of his wife's niece? Chyou was promising to be as strong and willful as Meilan had been. If only he had been able to appreciate those qualities when she was still alive.

Chyou's yawn brought Wufei back to the present.

"Looks like you're getting tired," Wufei said, smiling.

"No I'm not!" Chyou insisted.

"Of course," Wufei replied, tongue in cheek. "It's time to go inside for dinner, though. We can practice more afterwards, okay?"

"Okay!" Chyou agreed enthusiastically. Wufei hoped he wouldn't get in trouble for promising such a thing, as he wasn't sure how Sun and Lian would react to the lessons and if they would want them to continue. Hopefully, they wouldn't mind.

"Come on, Unca Wu!" Chyou called as she bounced inside, obviously ready to eat. Wufei shook his head at her antics and followed her inside.

As they sat at the table to eat, Chyou was fairly exploding with excitement. Mindful of her manners, though, she settled for looking pleadingly at her father instead of interrupting the silence.

After a short while, Sun smiled and asked, "Did you have fun today, Chyou?"

"Yah! Unca Wu is so fun! Guess what we did!"

"What did you do?" Sun asked, obviously curious.

"We did exercises! I'm going to be strong like Unca Wu!" Chyou said enthusiastically.

Sun looked to Wufei for clarification.

"Chyou asked me to teach her to fight. Of course, that is for you to do, so I declined. She insisted, so I taught her some basic Tai Chi."

Sun nodded, understanding dawning on his features. "Was it hard," he asked, turning to Chyou.

"Uh-huh! But Unca Wu says I'm good at it. We're going to do more after dinner!"

Sun looked questioningly to Wufei again, who swallowed, chagrinned. "She did show a surprising aptitude for the exercises. And I would be willing to show her more after dinner if you would allow it."

"We'll see," Sun replied, smiling to himself. "Chyou, if you want to do more, you'll have to finish all of your dinner," he instructed.

"Okay!" Chyou replied, and set to with a will.

It was a pleasant meal. The adults talked about inconsequential matters, filling Wufei in with the daily happenings since his departure, while Chyou ate diligently. Towards the end, however, her head was drooping noticeably, and by the time everyone had finished, she had fallen fast asleep in her chair.

"Looks like it's time for bed," Lian said. "You really tired her out," she continued with a smile.

"I hope it's not a problem. She insisted on practicing all afternoon."

"No, not a problem. I just wonder that she hasn't tired you out as much as the other way around!" Lian replied.

As if on cue, Wufei yawned. "Perhaps she has. I think I'll retire early tonight."

"A good idea," said Master Long. "Tomorrow will be a full day."

"Master Long?" Wufei said questioningly.

"Now that you're home, I would like you to help with the training of some of my students."

"Of course. I will see you in the morning, then," Wufei replied. "Thank you for the meal." With that, Wufei stood and headed for his bedroom as Lian gathered up Chyou to put her to bed.  


* * *

Wufei roused himself early the next morning so he could do his exercises before joining Master Long's students for training. While he had been unable to do them daily while on Earth, he had performed them as often as possible. It was important to hone both his discipline and his strength, and these exercises did both.

Centering his mind, Wufei began the first series of motions. While exacting, it was a relieving pursuit. Being able to exercise in the comfort of his home again was quite a relief, to Wufei's surprise. He hadn't realized how much he had missed it while he was gone.

Finishing up, Wufei wiped the sweat from his brow with a cloth, then gathered the things he would need for training. It wasn't much - soft shoes, a larger towel and a practice katana. Things in hand, he exited his room and made for the practice yard on the side of the Long residence.

There were a number of students already there, stretching in preparation for their lessons. Master Long sat to the side, observing. Wufei approached him and bowed.

"Good morning, Master Long. How would you like me to help?"

"Good morning, Wufei. As soon as Sun arrives, I would like you two to do a demonstration of hand-to-hand combat for my students. Please employ any techniques that you have learned during your absence, even if they are not traditional moves. The students need to see what fighting true enemies is like."

"Of course, Master Long. I'd be happy to demonstrate what I've learned," Wufei replied, wondering if he'd learned very much. His training had served him in good stead, preparing him well for the hand-to-hand combat he had engaged in on Earth. Further, he was apprehensive about facing Sun. They were a well-matched pair, but Sun had always had a slight advantage. After his experiences, Wufei would be expected to win the match, but he wasn't at all sure he would be able to.

Wufei suppressed his anxiety and grinned when Sun walked into the yard. Bowing slightly, he greeted his brother-in-law warmly.

"Good morning, Wufei," Sun replied. "Ready for the match?" Apparently, he already knew what was expected of them.

"Of course," Wufei replied, willing himself to be so. He had faced men who truly wanted to kill him; faced them and defeated them. He could face Sun and triumph as well, he told himself. Of course he could.

"Whenever you're ready," Master Long said to them. Sun looked to Wufei, who nodded, and they stepped out to the middle of the yard together. Immediately, the students stopped stretching and formed a loose circle around them.

After a few last stretches, Wufei readied himself, placing his feet just so, and waited for Master Long's command. Across from him, Sun fell into his ready stance.

"Begin," ordered Master Long, and the two men facing each other sprang into motion.

Sun had come at Wufei immediately, aiming a punch at his head, but Wufei had dodged him easily. He countered with a swift kick, which Sun blocked, then spun out of the way to give himself more room to maneuver. Sun followed him, attacking again, and this time Wufei blocked.

It went on like that for some time, neither seeming to have a clear advantage. Their breathing grew faster and sweat began to pore down their faces and still they circled, attacking, dodging, feinting, blocking.

Sun attacked with a series of blows, which Wufei blocked, and then backed off, preparing a stronger attack. As Sun advanced, Wufei saw his opportunity. Employing a technique an OZ soldier had used on him, Wufei managed to dodge Sun's attack while putting his leg out in such a way as to unbalance his opponent. As Sun wavered, Wufei swept his leg under Sun, tipping him off balance, then pushed him the rest of the way down. Lifting his elbow, he brought it down with force, stopping just before striking Sun's head. Sun gestured his surrender.

Panting, Wufei withdrew his elbow and stood, offering a hand to help Sun up. His brother-in-law accepted, grinning as he stood up.

"Good match," Sun said. "You've learned some new moves, I see."

"Good indeed," Master Long intoned. "Thank you for the demonstration. I hope it has been instructive for my students."

The students bowed in agreement and thanks, and Wufei nodded to them.

"Lan, Song, you will spar together. Tan, with Sungdo, and Tien with Lin. See if you can employ some of the new techniques you saw today," Master Long instructed, then turned to Wufei and Sun. "Sun, you may go if you wish. Wufei, I would like a word with you before you begin work on your Gundam."

"Of course," Wufei replied, as Sun bowed and took his leave of them.

"Come," Master Long requested, then turned toward the house.

They entered through a side door into a small sitting room. Master Long seated himself in a comfortable armchair, and gestured for Wufei to take a seat as well. Once Wufei sat, Master Long steepled his fingers and looked at him, thinking for a while.

"Wufei," Master Long began, just as Wufei was about to say something. "Your fighting skills have improved. You are stronger than when you left."

"Thank you, Master Long," Wufei replied, then waited, knowing there was more his mentor wanted to say.

"And yet you doubt yourself."

Wufei hesitated. What to say? How to explain it?

"I... fighting OZ has taught me many things. I have learned to fight better, yes. But... I was defeated by OZ's leader, Treize Kushrenada. He should have killed me, but instead he let me go. He let me go! I was so ashamed, I failed to join the other Gundam pilots in Siberia when they needed my help. It took a woman... a woman!... to convince me to fight again. Now, Nataku is even stronger than before... I may be stronger as well, but I'm not sure I have the strength to deserve Nataku."

Master Long looked at him for a long time before replying. "The problem is not your strength, Wufei, but your determination," he said.

Wufei thought for a moment, taken aback by Master Long's statement. His determination?

"I'm determined to fight OZ... but OZ is winning. How can that be, if they are evil?" he asked.

"Battles and wars do not determine who is right or good, Wufei," the old man replied. "They determine who is left. It is up to you to ensure that you fight with integrity and for justice. With those must you define the battle. Do not let the battle define you."

"I will try, Master Long," Wufei replied, trying to take in all that his mentor had said. Integrity and justice. He could fight for those things, fight with those qualities. Especially against an organization as evil as OZ. Yes, he could fight. He would fight.

Master Long contemplated the boy across from him, giving time for his words to sink in. Then he nodded.

"Good. That is all I can ask of you, and all you can ask of yourself."

"Thank you, Master Long," Wufei said with feeling. It never ceased to amaze him how a few words from this man could allay his doubts and fears. Yet again, he had helped Wufei understand himself and his own capabilities.

"You are welcome, Wufei," Master Long replied, his eyes twinkling with amusement. "And thank you," he continued, serious now. "Thank you for fighting on behalf of us all. You do much for one your age... much for any one person. We are very grateful."

Wufei was speechless. Never had he expected such a thing from Master Long. To be thanked in this way meant more than he could ever say. In response, he stood and bowed, showing his eternal respect for his mentor.

"It is my honor, Master Long."

Master Long chuckled. "Of course. Always the dutiful boy. Alright, that's all I need Wufei. You may go begin work on Shenlong now."

"Thank you, Master Long. Just let me know if you need anything. I'll be happy to help."

"Of course," Master Long replied, standing up. "Best of luck. There is a lot of work to be done."

Nodding, Wufei took his leave of his grandfather-in-law. A lot of work indeed. Thankfully, there were many capable hands to help Wufei with this work. Nataku would be complete in a matter of weeks. Then, he could fight again. For integrity, and for justice.  


* * *

Another head hangs lowly,  
Child is slowly taken.  
And the violence caused such silence,  
Who are we mistaken?

**Duo**

After they had escaped from the Lunar Base and wrecked as much havoc upon it as they could, Duo and Wufei had parted ways. He had no idea where Wufei had gone off to, but Duo had headed in the direction of the L2 cluster. He'd gotten into one scuffle with some OZ mobile suits along the way, but they didn't have any mobile dolls with them, so it was a cinch. He'd ended up on colony 0231, and was just setting up in a tiny little house (a converted trailer, actually) on a nice plot of land near the scrap yards when Hilde had found him.

He had no idea how the girl had tracked him down. He must have mentioned being from L2 at some point, but there were a half dozen different colonies in the cluster, so to find him so quickly was nothing short of miraculous. It was nice to have the company, though. One thing Duo couldn't abide was silence, and talking to himself got a little weird after a while. Besides, the girl was a decent mechanic, and was helping out quite a bit with Deathscythe.

The Gundam had only been about 80 complete when he'd stolen it from the Lunar Base, so there was a good amount of work to be done. Thankfully, he still had the little device that Trowa had given him, so he had all the detailed schematics of the new gear. He felt sorry that Wufei had to work without that aid, but the guy had studied the images so assiduously he probably had them memorized completely.

During the day, he and Hilde scrounged through scrap yards and mechanic's shops looking for the parts they needed. Of course they couldn't actually work on the Gundam during the daylight, and when they worked at night it was under the tarpaulin with flashlights. It was pretty annoying to have to work under the canvas cover, but annoying wouldn't even begin to describe it if they were discovered, so under cover it would be. They'd made a lot of progress, and he hazarded they'd only need another week, maybe less, to finish things completely.

Earlier that week, he'd managed to track down a fuel supplier and had ordered some more fuel for good ol' Scythe. Today, instead of sifting through piles of scrap, he was waiting around for said supplier to deliver while Hilde plied the scrap yards on her own. That girl really had been a big help, and Duo kept wondering what he could do to pay her back. So far, he'd come up with a whole lot of nothing, except making sure she didn't get killed helping him out.

A little after noon, Duo saw a big truck pull up in front of his yard. A heavyset man leaned out of the window and called down to him.

"You're the guy who needed vernier fuel for mobile suits, right?" he asked.

"Yah! Sorry to bother you!" Duo replied as he got up, watching the man get down from his truck. "You're payments over there, under those tarps," he continued, waving off to full trailer covered with canvas. "Genuine OZ products, just like you wanted. Just help yourself."

"Here, sign this form," the man said, handing Duo a clipboard before heading over to his truck and disconnecting it's trailer. Getting back in the cab, he backed it up to the trailer in the front of Duo's yard, then got back out to get the trailer hitched up. Without waiting for Duo, he got back into the driver's seat and turned on the engine.

"Just a sec!" Duo called. "Don't you wanna see what's inside?"

The man looked at him frankly before replying. "We'll never make ends meet if those guys completely take over. Until then I'm counting on you to do what you can, kiddo. I'm trusting in you. Just let me know if you need bullets. Contact me anytime!" With that, he drove off.

Duo was shocked. "The guy left without even taking the rest of my payment," he muttered in wonder.

"Duo!" he heard Hilde calling from down the street. He turned to see her jogging toward him.

"Couldn't find anything at the yards today. Is there anything else I can help with?"

"No, it's all under control. Wait for me at the trailer in front there, I'll be right back," Duo said, going to get an old truck he had parked in the back of the yard. Starting it up, he drove it slowly to the front and backed in front of the trailer the man had left.

"Hook it up for me, will you?" he called to Hilde.

"Sure thing!" She replied. Then, a minute later, "All done!"

"Thanks!" Duo called before putting the truck back in drive and steering it around to the back again. He'd have to wait till dark to get the fuel into Scythe, of course, but he was glad it'd come through. He hadn't been at all sure the reaction he'd get once the guy got here and found a kid taking the order. He certainly hadn't expected the reaction he'd gotten, though.

Turning off the engine and climbing down from the truck, Duo shut the door behind him and walked over toward where Hilde was standing.

"You didn't happen to have any luck with the transport plans did you?" he asked, referring to yet another task she was helping him with.

"No, not that either. I couldn't get any information at all."

"Ah well, it was worth a shot. OZ isn't that ignorant; they know you've defected so it's no surprise they've taken away your authorization. They're just being more cautious than before."

"Yah, I guess," Hilde replied.

"I woulda loved to destroy Barge right now, though. I guess I'll just have to put it off for a while."

"Sorry…" Hilde said, looking truly remorseful.

"Don't be," Duo replied. "Not your fault OZ is being smart for once. It really doesn't surprise me since I couldn't even hack into it. That's a good sign they're pretty serious about keeping it a secret. No worries, okay?"

"Okay," Hilde said, grinning at him. It really was that easy to make her happy.

"What are we gonna do for those other parts…" Duo mused to himself.

"Well, I wasn't able to go to all the scrap yards," Hilde said. "There are a few left still, I just came back in case you needed help with the fuel."

"I appreciate it," Duo replied, eliciting another grin from the girl. "We'll have to check out those other yards then. You up for it?"

"Sure!" Hilde replied enthusiastically. Duo just grinned and shook his head. That girl had an endless amount of energy. The only thing that seemed to get her down was thinking she'd disappointed him, and as soon as he let her know she hadn't, she was all bounce and excitement again. Sometimes, Duo thought she was even more energetic than he was… if that were possible.

Later that afternoon, Duo and Hilde were back in front of the house, sorting through their haul. They hadn't managed to get everything they needed, but it was enough to keep them busy for the next couple nights. If nothing else, Duo could ask that guy who'd delivered the fuel about the last few parts he needed.

"Are you gonna keep on fighting alone, Duo?" Hilde asked out of the blue. Used to this by now, Duo responded like they'd been talking the whole time they were working.

"What choice do I have? I've got no idea where the others are. So I'll just have to go it alone."

"Let me know if there's any way I can be of help Duo. I'll do anything," Hilde replied.

Duo knew she was hinting at fighting with him, but he wasn't too keen on the idea. The last thing he needed was another death on his conscience. So he made sure to avoid the subject.

"Okay… I wouldn't mind having a nice juicy steak for dinner," he said with an impish grin.

"Come off it, I'm totally serious!" Hilde replied indignantly.

"I know, I know. You're doing more than enough already."

"But…"

"No buts. You know what you can do once we're done working on Scythe here? You can stay safe."

"But Duo…"

"Hilde, I mean it," Duo said, giving up on the avoidance tactic. "Growing up on L2, I lost a lot of friends. You're one of the few friends I have now, and I don't want to lose you. So stay safe, okay?"

"Alright…" Hilde replied, somewhat mollified. "Wait, what's that…?"

A distant droning sound intensified into the sound of a huge motor, a motor only a mobile suit would use. Duo looked around, and finally saw one flying in their direction. As it got closer, he though it looked familiar...

"Wait a sec… it's a Gundam!!" he cried in surprise.

Immediately, Duo knew something was wrong. The Gundam looked a lot like Wing, but not quite, and he knew none of the other pilots would be flying one in plain view like this just to visit him… unless they'd gone bonkers. Could this be the new Gundam Heero had gone to fight? Did that mean Heero had lost…? And had it been Quatre…?

At that moment, the Gundam landed in the street in front of them and pointed its beam cannon straight at them, breaking Duo's chain of thought. The cockpit opened and an unfamiliar man stepped out.

"Freeze!" the man shouted at them. "Duo Maxwell, I demand that you come with me at once. Do it or you're dead."

"Hey!" Duo replied, trying to stay calm. "Do what you've gotta do, but remember the power of that beam cannon! You could completely demolish this whole colony!"

"I don't care," the man replied forcefully.

"What?!" Duo and Hilde cried in unison.

"I have no interest in what happens to this place, kid. This Gundam's system is the key to my promotion in OZ. I will make Tubarov's dolls a useless tool of the past; I'll do whatever it takes to make this system replace them. Now come here, Gundam pilot! You're the only one I want."

Ignoring Hilde's protests, Duo waked forward toward the man with the eyes of a maniac.  


* * *

They were outside the colony now, near what Duo presumed to be the crazy man's shuttle. Duo sat in the cockpit of the strange Gundam, wearing a helmet attached to all sorts of wires.

"What's with all this junk you've attached?" Duo asked, fiddling with some of the wires.

"Don't touch those!" the man snapped, checking them to be sure they were intact. Duo stopped fiddling and waited for an answer, but none was forthcoming.

"Okay… what do you want me to do?" he tried.

"I want you to fight the mobile dolls with Wing Zero here. With real firearms, of course," the man replied.

"That's fine with me," Duo said cavalierly, wondering what on earth the man could gain from this. "But I might just escape during your tests."

"No, you won't. I've set it so Wing Zero's functions can be set from outside. Besides… I've programmed the mobile dolls to switch their target to that colony in case you decide to try something funny."

Duo gritted his teeth. He'd just have to play along, then.

"Right, commence," the man ordered as he strapped himself in beside Duo.

Duo surveyed the battlefield, then his suit. The obvious weapon was the beam cannon, but using it from this position could harm the colony… there, a beam sabre. That would do.

Duo charged the first doll, and was surprised by Zero's response. It was like having a second skin. He'd thought Deathscythe was good after being upgraded, but this was a different level completely. He dispatched the first doll with ease and turned to face the second.

"That's good… that's the way to fight! Show me exactly what you see before you!" the man shouted crazily.

Suddenly, Duo saw Deathscythe appear before him, poised to strike.

"What's this? No way!" Duo shouted, and the Gundam vanished, replaced by a mobile doll. Duo it engaged it and destroyed it with ease.

"So you saw it!" the crazed man cried. "You must tell me, what is the Wing Zero trying to show the pilot?!"

"How the hell should I know what it means?!" Duo screamed as he took down another doll. Turning, he was faced yet again with Deathscythe.

"Impossible!" Duo shouted.

"Nothing's impossible, Duo," came Heero's voice over the comm unit. "Now it's time to die."

Deathscythe flew at him and swung its scythe, but Duo deflected it with Zero's shield. Backing away, he raised the beam cannon and fired. Deathscythe was completely obliterated.

Coming to his senses, Duo was aghast. "What?! What have I done?!"

Instantly, the scene was gone, and instead he faced a mobile doll.

"Of course. My enemy," Duo intoned. He dispatched it with the beam cannon and turned to fire on another one. Too late, he saw the colony behind it. The beam reached the colony, and he could see Hilde in his mind's eye as she stood staring off after him after Trant had captured him, now dying in the explosion he had caused.

"Noooooo!! What am I doing?! What the hell have I been doing?"

Again, the world changed in an instant. In front of him was a mobile dolls, pierced through by his beam sabre, and behind it was the colony, still intact.

"No… no way… it couldn't be… there's no way! How could a person do this?!"

"It's possible, believe me it is. Anything is possible with this outstanding system," the man beside him ranted. "It's capable of altering human consciousness to another level! Anything is possible!"

"Lieutenant Trant," came a voice over the comm unit, interrupting the man. "Hand over the Wing Zero and surrender yourself. Orders from Colonel Tubarov. I repeat! Hand over the Wing Zero and surrender!"

"They're here," the man intoned, suddenly quiet in his intensity. Then he burst into action, unbuckling Duo from the pilot seat and flinging him out of the way. Unable to react, Duo flew from the seat as wires ripped from his helmut, and then Duo was being pushed out of the cockpit to flout in space. Spinning wildly, Duo experienced an acute sense of vertigo and panic.

What had happened? He'd been totally unprepared, and now he was going to die out here… Duo fought hard not to vomit, not sure if the vertigo or the panic had more to do with his sudden nausea. Trying desperately to center himself, Duo focused on the whirling blackness, willing himself to see something other than the distant stars.

Duo's spinning was abruptly halted when he bumped into something hard. Looking around as he rebounded, Duo saw a carrier shuttle. In a moment, a hatch had opened and someone was coming out on a line. The person bumped into him, and he immediately recognized her.

"Hilde!" Duo shouted, despite the fact that she couldn't hear him. She grabbed onto his space suit firmly, then pressed a button on the end of her line and instantly they were being pulled back in.

Hilde shut the hatch behind them, and once the airlock closed she removed her helmut.

"Duo!" she shouted, immediately at his side. "Are you alright?"

Duo stood, panting, unable to respond. That was possibly the most terrifying experience of his life. Never before had he free-floated in space, and he never intended to repeat it.

"Duo!" Hilde insisted.

"Mm'okay," Duo replied between pants. "Just… need… a sec…"

Duo tried to steady himself. The image of Deathscythe and the sound of Heero's voice seemed to be on repeat in his head.

"Now it's time to die."

Had the Gundam done that to him? Was that what the system that man… Trant… was talking about supposed to do? Trant had to be crazy! No system was worth those visions!

Urgently needing to know what was transpiring, Duo looked around for an entrance to the cockpit. Spying one, he immediately leapt for it.

"Duo!" Hilde called after him. "What's going on, Duo?"

"That Gundam!" he replied, reaching the cockpit and looking out the window to the battle raging outside. "It's got a system installed in it, a system that enhances the pilot's ability, but it's crazy! Hilde, I destroyed the colony! The system's crazy! It's evil!"

"Duo, you're not making any sense!" Hilde nearly yelled, frantic with worry. "The colony hasn't been harmed!"

"I know, I know… the system make me think I destroyed the colony… make me see it. If I'd been in there any longer, I might have done it for real!"

"Duo, it's okay now, the colony's fine!"

"No! That man, he was crazy to start… once he destroys those mobile dolls, who knows what that system will make him do. I have to stop him!"

"Duo, you can't fight in the state you're in!"

"Hilde, this is a carrier shuttle. You brought Scythe, didn't you?"

"Duo, don't…!"

Knowing by her answer that he was right, Duo turned and ran for the cargo hold.

"Duo, stop!!" Hilde called after him.

"Don't worry, Hilde!" he called over his shoulder. "Remember, I'm a Gundam pilot!"

Opening the door to the cargo hold, Duo locked it behind himself and went straight for Scythe's cockpit. Strapping himself in, he checked to be sure Hilde hadn't made it through the door, then opened the hatch.

"That system's more than a human can handle," he thought to himself. "I've got to stop him…"

Powering on Deathscythe, Duo set the hatch to shut automatically behind him. Launching the Gundam into space, he surveyed the ongoing battle. Only a few mobile dolls were left to oppose the crazy man. He had made it just in time.

Duo flew straight for the other Gundam, scythe raised to strike. It evaded him with ease.

"Damn!! It's incredibly fast!" he shouted in frustration.

Attacking once again, Duo wasn't ready for Zero's countermove, which sent his scythe spinning into space. With nothing else for it, he locked Deathscythe's arms around the other Gundam.

"You're dead!" came the maniac's voice over the comm unit. "You fool! Haven't you realized that you don't have a chance against me?! Haha, this will do it!" he screamed as Zero's arms came around Scythe in turn, crushing with a greater force than Deathscythe could muster.

"You sure about that?" Duo demanded, reaching for the self-destruct device. "It might end in a tie!" Duo braced himself to press the button, but Zero suddenly broke free of Scythe's hold, destroying his opportunity.

"Nooo! Get away from me! I won't lose, not to the likes of you!" the madman shouted.

"You still don't get it, do you?!" Duo shouted in return. "If you lost, it wouldn't be to me! You'd be losing to the Wing Zero!"

"I won't lose! I can't lose! I can handle a system like… Aaaaaah!"

The silence following that bloodcurdling scream was deafening, and could only mean one thing. Duo tried to pursue, determined to capture the suit so it couldn't do any more harm, but Deathscythe had sustained too much damage during the fight and wasn't responding.

"Dammit!" he yelled, slamming his fists on the controls as Zero receded in the distance. That system was too dangerous to be in the hands of OZ… or the hands of anyone.  


* * *

Later that night, Duo lay awake in bed, unable to sleep. Hilde had come to collect him not long after Zero disappeared, and they'd returned to the colony and his temporary residence. How Hilde had commandeered a carrier shuttle and gotten back into the colony no questions asked, Duo didn't know, but he'd been in no state to think to ask.

Deathscythe was extensively damaged, and he needed to reconstruct the thermal scythe, so it was essentially back to square one on repairs, but that wasn't what was keeping him awake.

He had destroyed Deathscythe, killed Heero, killed Hilde and thousands of innocents on the colony in the blink of an eye. It didn't matter that it hadn't really happened… what mattered was that he would have done it. He shuddered. He never wanted to deal with that system again.

"It's just too much for a human being to handle," he muttered to himself. "If anyone were capable of it, he'd be superior to the entire human race.

tbc


End file.
